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.
春运五大风险，公安部预警！******
公安部预警2023年春运五大风险
随着疫情防控措施调整转段，预计今年春运跨区域流动性将加速释放，春运客流总量可能出现大幅增长，局部地区、重点时段人流、车辆、物流高度集中，交通安全风险加大。公安部研判2023年春运交通安全形势，发出交通安全提示。
公安部综合出行需求、客货运量、气象预报、疫情形势等情况分析，2023年春运道路交通安全面临自驾小客车肇事、干线公路混行、农村地区群死群伤、酒驾醉驾、雨雾冰雪影响等五方面主要风险。
近两年春运期间小客车肇事死亡占比超过一半，导致的较大事故占比近七成。今年群众旅游探亲、返乡返岗的出行方式向自驾、小规模组团拼车出行转换的特点将更为明显，小客车肇事风险上升。
临近春节，能源、粮食、医疗、民生等物资运输需求旺盛，预计干线公路交通流量将持续增长、高位运行，大客车、大货车、危化品运输车、小客车等各类车型混合通行程度升高，交通拥堵和事故风险凸显。2022年春运期间高速公路死亡同比上升16.5%，今年干线公路交通事故风险有增无减。
外出务工人员大量返乡，加之春节期间农村地区赶集庙会、走亲访友、红白喜事等出行活动频繁，农村地区路况复杂，货车、拖拉机、三轮车违法载人、面包车超员载客等违法行为发生几率增大，易导致群死群伤交通事故。近两年春运期间，农村地区交通事故死亡人数、较大交通事故起数均占六成。
春运期间道路交通繁忙，交通违法肇事多发易发。近两年春运期间，交通肇事主要原因是未礼让行人、超速行驶、无证驾驶、酒驾醉驾、机动车未让优先方通行，其中，一次死亡3人、5人以上事故中，酒驾醉驾均是首要肇事原因。
此外，近期受大雾团雾、雨雪冰冻等恶劣天气影响引发的交通事故多发，高速公路及长下坡、桥梁隧道、急弯陡坡等重点路段交通安全风险隐患突出，极易导致车辆追尾、侧滑、侧翻。
公安部提示，自驾出行，应提前了解交通路况、天气预报和交通安全提示，合理安排出行路线和出行时间，尽量错峰出行。出行前应仔细检查车辆维护保养状况，准备好必要的生活和防疫物资，应谨慎评估自身健康状况，未排除感染风险前或出现发热等症状时，倡导暂缓出行。驾车时要集中精力，不分心驾驶，不疲劳驾驶，不超速行驶，驾乘车辆要全程全员系好安全带。谨记“开车不喝酒、喝酒不开车”，切勿酒后驾驶。
行经高速公路，要保持安全车距，遇拥堵、缓行路段，切勿随意穿插，切勿占用应急车道，如发生交通事故、车辆故障，牢记“车靠边、人撤离、即报警”，避免发生二次事故。恶劣天气条件下出行，要严格遵守“降速、控距、亮尾”措施，通过急弯陡坡、积雪结冰路段，要提前降低车速，不急打方向、急踩刹车，防止车辆失控侧滑侧翻。
乘坐客运车辆出行，要到正规客运场站，切勿乘坐非法营运客车；农村地区乘车出行要乘坐安全性能良好的私家车或正规的客运班线，不要搭乘轻型货车、三轮车、拖拉机等非载客车辆，不要乘坐超员车辆。
