中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
沿海大省开启"抢人"模式 破解用工荒须综合施策******
全力“拼经济”，离不开“保用工”。节后首个工作周，各地迎来了招工保产的窗口期，新一轮“抢人大战”提前启幕。
为鼓励外地务工人员尽早返岗，浙江某地连续数日向规定日期前返岗的务工人员派发总价1000万元的“五金券”。派发首日，就有来自湖南的务工人员田某领到价值59800元的“金券”，提走电动汽车一辆。
在广东深圳，当地政府明确提出：对2月5日前市外原在岗职工返岗达500人以上的企业(劳务派遣单位除外)，按照每人200元的标准发放一次性返岗交通补助，每家企业最高40万元。
据不完全统计，目前已有包括广东、浙江、江苏等在内的多个沿海大省开启了“抢人”模式，大手笔谋划跨省异地招工，多举措确保回乡人员及时返岗，全方位助力企业实现“开门红”。
节后“用工荒”“招工难”年年都有，今年似乎格外突出。这背后，既有因疫情政策调整优化带来的用工需求增加，也有人口负增长导致劳动力红利减弱的因素。国家统计局的数据显示，至2022年末，全国16岁至59岁劳动年龄人口约为87556万人，比2021年减少了666万人。
当然，随着沿海地区产业加快向内陆省份转移，中西部地区经济保持较快增长，更多就业岗位、更小收入差距让越来越多外出务工人员愿意留在“家门口”就业，特别是近年来乡村振兴战略的深入实施，一些有技能又有想法的返乡年轻人主动求变，或成为职业农民，或成为创业者，实现了从“雁南飞”到“金凤还巢”的转变。
客观上看，作为一种复杂经济现象的存在，“用工荒”“招工难”有其合理的一面，但也暴露出当前我国在人力供给与产业需求之间的结构性错配问题。事实上，“用工荒”“招工难”已不只是春节期间的短期现象，一些地方、部分行业常年都面临着招不到人的尴尬状况；“用工荒”“招工难”也并非沿海发达地区所特有，越来越多中西部地区也感受到了这一趋势的逼近。
以制造业为例，作为吸纳外来人员就业的主要行业之一，近年来遭遇了前所未有的严峻用工形势——产业工人空心化问题日趋突出，年轻人“宁愿送快递也不进工厂”，即便是招到了人也留不住人，居高不下的用工成本甚至已成了不少制造业企业转型升级的障碍。
破解当前“用工荒”“招工难”难题，需要合力构建起充分就业的长效机制。人社部门要搭建精准高效的用工供需对接平台，借助大数据等手段，为劳动力及用工企业做好对接服务，力促就业市场的动态平衡；用人单位要针对未来人口红利不断减弱的现实，未雨绸缪提早布局，特别是制造业企业，要进一步加快智能化数字化改造，逐步以机器替代传统人力，减少对人工劳动力的依赖；对于劳动者自身而言，要认清就业形势，树立正确就业观念，积极在自身上挖掘潜力。
从更长远看，破解“用工荒”“招工难”难题，需要努力做好城镇化这篇大文章。中国的城镇化是以人为核心的城镇化，从某种意义上说，“用工荒”“招工难”所折射出的，正是长期以来城镇化进程中农民工无法真正融入城镇生活的现实。如果社会保障不能兜底、基本公共服务均等化不能覆盖更多群体，那么广大进城务工人口的“后顾之忧”就无法真正解除，“用工荒”现象也难以彻底消除。换言之，对于中国这样庞大的经济系统而言，用好用足城镇化引擎，保持住就业连续性、稳定性，方能以较低成本实现经济社会的平稳运行。 (顾阳 来源：经济日报）
