（新春见闻）复兴号折叠时空 成都与大凉山“双向奔赴”******
中新社凉山1月17日电 题：复兴号折叠时空 成都与大凉山“双向奔赴”
中新社记者 王鹏
17日上午11点，经过3小时车程，一列复兴号动车缓缓停靠西昌西站，站台瞬间拥挤起来。成都游客姜亮一家四口走进阳光里，开始了春节度假。“我们就是来大凉山晒太阳的！”他笑着说。
1个多小时后，彝族青年拉冲坐上同一列动车，向400多公里外的成都疾驰而去。春节临近，这位舞蹈演员要去省城参加表演。他透露，随着新成昆铁路全线通车，公司在成都的演艺业务多了起来。
2023年春运，开通不久的新成昆铁路将时空距离折叠，成都至凉山彝族自治州首府西昌的火车旅行时间，由10多个小时缩短至3小时，造就了成都与大凉山的“双向奔赴”。
列车上，遇到汉语讲得不好的彝族老乡，26岁的彝族列车员吉克日古会用彝语进行交流。他说，这条铁路全线通车好几天后，仍不敢相信，“像做梦，因为凉山人对这条铁路渴望太久了，以前的慢火车太慢了。”
吉克日古所说的“慢火车”，是建成于1970年、曾开创13项世界铁路之最的成昆铁路。几十年来，它是中国西南山区的物流大通道。开行于这条铁路上的绿皮火车，是彝族娃娃们的“校车”，也是彝族百姓的“赶集车”，更连接着山外的世界。
“以前坐老成昆铁路到成都，要十几个小时，雨季经常断道，很不方便。”吉克日古说，随着时速160公里的新成昆铁路全线开通，大凉山多了一条对外大通道，“外面的人更方便进来了解凉山，彝族人走出大山也更容易。”
对成都市民姜亮来说，新成昆铁路是一条“阳光旅游专列”。“成都冬天阳光很少，很早就想来西昌晒太阳，但太折腾。”他说，复兴号把大凉山和成都连接了起来，使“好耍”的成都人到西昌旅游成为一种日常，“周末想走就走”。
成都人涌入大凉山，给当地旅游业带来了大量客源。在邛海边经营民宿的林帆说，自新成昆铁路去年12月26日全线通车，酒店几乎每天满房，绝大多数客人来自成都，春节假期也早已订满。
这场“双向奔赴”，对成都人来说也许是多了一个旅游目的地，出行更便捷。但对大凉山的彝族人来说，意味着更多。
“大山外的人能进来，大山里的人能出去。”在彝族姑娘曾静看来，虽已摆脱贫困，但对彝族人来说，“这是一条通向更广阔的世界的路”。
长期在凉山表演的拉冲感触更深。“以前去成都表演，火车慢，汽车堵，飞机贵。现在3小时动车直达，超级方便。”这位23岁的彝族青年，今年可能将第一次在成都过年，“也许以后我们还会去北京表演。”说起未来生活，他眼里闪着光。
新成昆铁路的受欢迎程度，从车票销量可窥一斑。列车长高翔透露，通车以来一直是“春运状态”，每天十余趟成都往返西昌的动车均满员，需提前几天抢票。吉克日古也告诉记者，通车以来，很多彝族乡亲好友问他，“日古，我怎么买不到票？你能帮我买到吗？”
从小在彝族村落长大的吉克日古，求学时常乘坐慢火车，正是看到制服笔挺的列车员，才立志去铁路工作。如今已穿上制服成为复兴号列车员的他，知道自己的故事被很多彝族乡亲用来鼓励娃娃，“好好读书，像吉克日古一样，长大后去大山外的世界。”(完)
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.
