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.
求索患者寻医问诊的最优解******
【新春走基层】
光明日报记者 张锐 夏静 光明日报通讯员 杜巍巍
“目前，疫情防控进入新阶段，仍是吃劲的时候，大家都在努力，曙光就在前头。”连日来，每天只休息五六个小时的武汉大学人民医院（湖北省人民医院）副院长程帆，劳累着，也被感动着。
程帆介绍，自去年12月以来，医院两个院区发热门诊和急诊科接诊量激增，高峰时期是同期的近10倍，就诊患者大多数为老年人，多合并基础疾病，入院即告病重甚至病危。同时，医院住院病人猛增，在院病人最多时超过6000人，整体病床使用率超过120%。此外，去年12月医护人员绝大部分被感染，医院人手一度严重不足，面临极大的救治压力。
怎样才能让骤增的患者有医生看、有病床住？
武汉大学人民医院统筹全院资源，打造开放床位达5198张的“超级医院”，努力做到“新冠患者应收尽收、急诊患者应接尽接、重症患者应治尽治”。
程帆说，医院打通所有床位，所有病房调整为“综合内科病房”，按照先内科系统再外科系统的收治顺序，“应收尽收”；打通所有收治通道，门急诊、发热门诊患者不以发热进行预检分诊，不查核酸、抗原，“应接尽接”；打通所有专业，全院内科外科打通、中医西医打通，除重症肺部感染患者外，根据患者基础疾病直接收治到相应专科，“应治尽治”；打通全院人员和物资，医护人员“轻伤不下火线”，快速康复后立即返岗，甚至没有完全康复就返岗。
不仅要让患者能看病、能住院，武汉大学人民医院更是想方设法让患者能看好病。
武汉大学人民医院重症医学Ⅱ科主任余追说，因为规范的重症救治病区床位有限，很多病人进不了ICU。而经过亚重症改建的普通病房，在重症专家的指导和协助下，也能有效地收治病人。这段时间，余追的身影总是奔波在重症医学Ⅱ科和他“承包”负责的3个病区，守卫着生命之门。
与此同时，依托24小时接诊的“武大云医”互联网医院，武汉大学人民医院打破时间和空间的束缚，让优质医疗资源惠及更多患者。
“这可能是细菌感染或者真菌感染，要尽快做纤维支气管镜检查、气道分泌物测序。”“病人整个代谢的紊乱一定要纠正，这是肺炎愈合的基本条件。”1月5日上午，武汉大学人民医院呼吸与危重症医学Ⅱ科主任胡克、重症医学Ⅰ科主任詹丽英，在“武大云医”上指导湖北沙洋县人民医院紧急救治当地一位61岁的新冠感染患者。
近半个月来，武汉大学人民医院组建的新冠救治国家和省级专家团队，还“点对点”远程帮扶省内的汉川、咸丰、潜江等地的20多家医院，开展急危重症患者远程会诊100余人次。此外，从2022年12月以来，“武大云医”累计接诊超过6.3万人次，为患者提供网络就诊、送药上门、居家健康管理等服务累计超过232万人次。
武汉大学人民医院党委书记万红慧说，作为传承百年红色基因的“红色医院”，医院始终坚持医心向党、医心为民，坚持“一切为了人民健康”，以高质量党建引领医院高质量发展；持续深化人才培养，加强学科建设，优化运营管理，加快融合创新，竭力让患者少痛苦、少花钱，不懈求索患者寻医问诊的最优解。
《光明日报》（ 2023年01月08日 02版）
