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.
传来“喜兔”吉祥的表情******
兔年快乐（装饰图符式兔表情系列）
兔年吉祥（伙伴型兔表情系列）
兔如其来（单个型兔表情系列）
爱之兔袭（单个型兔表情系列）
大展宏兔（单个型兔表情系列）
前兔无量（单个型兔表情系列）
近年来，“表情包”不仅是人们熟知并常用的词汇、用语，更是大众社交文化中交流情感情绪的一种必不可少、广受欢迎的视觉媒介，它借助移动信息交流工具，成为潮文化、新风俗的一种样态，甚至成为补充文字语言丰富性的一种更具情感表达的符号化传播手段，自然也成了艺术设计所关注的一个有趣的表达内容。尤其在年节之际，一些具有独特手法、情趣生动的“表情包”就成了情感交流中一个小小的兴奋点，成了社交工具中的收藏品。“表情包”也在其发展过程中，从单品形式发展为族群手法，从静态图形走向动态表达，从情绪表情深化为文化传播载体，呈现出丰富的视觉形式语言与文化现象。
癸卯新年将至，“兔隈明处弄精神”，温顺的兔、活泼的兔，代表着和善、机敏、文静、细腻、速度的兔，又一次走到文化前台，是生肖兔年“表情包”的不二主角。兔与人类相伴的历史非常悠长，兔作为文化符号的一个品类，距今已经不少于5300年了。同时，兔的形象也是民俗文化中传递美好寓意最为常见的吉祥动物，在民间艺术中题材中是非常活跃的造像角色，在织物、器物等的图案表现中，在面花、剪纸、雕刻等技艺主题里，呈现着丰富的纹样手法和装饰形态，与百姓美好生活的理想密不可分。兔作为十二生肖之一，还承担着天降祥瑞的圣洁象征、多子多福的兴旺寓意、健康长寿的生命期盼，自然也就成了艺术表现的喜见题材。
“喜兔”系列表情包以美好寓意为主要内容，也呈现针对生活现实的隐喻性表达，多借用成语谐音方式，为社交文化提供多元情绪的传递与抒发途径。“兔年快乐”“兔年吉祥”，通过简洁的图形组织构成欢乐的装饰图景，传递常说常新的形式寓意，在美好的新年气氛中，再添一份“喜庆”之意；“前兔无量”“兔飞猛进”，利用“谐音梗”抒发对于朋友们的美好祝愿，平添一份“喜乐”之情；“兔步青云”“大展宏兔”，同样借用谐音，是对交流对象的激励与期盼，表达一份“喜见”之心；“爱之兔袭”，表达日常情感交流的“喜爱”之态；而“羊没兔气”则是针对当前疫情困扰问题，抒发人们希望尽快走出阴霾的迫切愿望，表达获得“喜讯”之景；“兔如其来”“兔遭暴击”看似是宣泄负面情绪的表情，实则为一种心照不宣的生活幽默，传递“喜剧”之乐。这套作品，以三种方式表现，分别为单个型兔表情系列、伙伴型兔表情系列以及带有浓郁彩色的装饰图符式兔表情系列。其设计语言，分别取自中国民间剪纸的两种手法，一种是单色镂空形式，一种是彩色叠拼技艺，并采用静态与动态方式应用。
“喜兔”系列表情符号，从剪纸艺术中汲取表达方式，是对于新年气氛渲染的一种借力，是对于古老中国年节文化的美好祝福，更是希望通过这种在年节中贴于门窗迎福、祛邪符标的隐喻借用，期待在新的一年来临之际，我们能够早日走出疫情阴霾，焕发出“喜气”之表情，迎接美好新生活！
（作者：陈青，系上海美术学院副院长、教授）
表情包设计者：陈青、宋培铭、李明星（宋培铭系上海大学上海美术学院博士生，李明星系上海大学上海美术学院教师、讲师）
