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.
改善优质房企资产负债表 房地产风险化解再提速******
事关房地产融资、结构性货币政策工具、重点领域金融服务等,再迎监管进一步发声。1月10日,人民银行、银保监会联合召开主要银行信贷工作座谈会,研究部署落实金融支持稳增长有关工作。其中,包括政策性和开发性银行、各国有商业银行、部分股份制商业银行主要负责人均参加了会议。
保持房地产融资平稳有序
会议要求,人民银行、银保监会、各主要银行要全面贯彻落实党的二十大和中央经济工作会议精神,保持对实体经济的信贷支持力度,加大金融对国内需求和供给体系的支持,做好对基建投资、小微企业、科技创新、制造业、绿色发展等重点领域的金融服务,保持房地产融资平稳有序,推动经济运行整体好转,为全面建设社会主义现代化国家开好局、起好步,提供有力的金融支持。
针对重点领域金融支持,会议指出,各主要银行要合理把握信贷投放节奏,适度靠前发力,进一步优化信贷结构,精准有力支持国民经济和社会发展重点领域、薄弱环节。
其中包括,要加强跟踪监测,及时跟进政策性开发性金融工具配套融资,延续发挥好设备更新改造专项再贷款和财政贴息政策合力,力争形成更多实物工作量;要继续用好碳减排支持工具、支持煤炭清洁高效利用专项再贷款、科技创新再贷款、交通物流专项再贷款等结构性货币政策工具,不断完善对重点领域和薄弱环节的常态化支持机制;用好普惠小微贷款支持工具等优惠政策,加力支持小微市场主体恢复发展;此外,当前还要全力支持重点医疗物资生产保供企业的合理资金需求。
资产负债表回归安全区间
值得一提的是,会议再次提及房地产问题时,基调仍与此前一致,要全面贯彻落实中央经济工作会议精神,坚持房子是用来住的、不是用来炒的定位,推动房地产业向新发展模式平稳过渡。
同时,要有效防范化解优质头部房企风险,实施改善优质房企资产负债表计划,聚焦专注主业、合规经营、资质良好、具有一定系统重要性的优质房企,开展“资产激活”“负债接续”“权益补充”“预期提升”四项行动,综合施策改善优质房企经营性和融资性现金流,引导优质房企资产负债表回归安全区间。
“此次会议最大的亮点在于,提出了资产负债表优化的四项行动,这也说明,资产负债表优化的工作正进入实质操作阶段。”上海易居房地产研究院研究总监严跃进说道,资产激活意味着要把房地产企业的各类资产进行盘活,包括待开发的土地和待出售的房产、预售资金的加快回笼、资产证券化的加快推进、REITs产品等模式的加快介入、现金流的持续改善等内容。
负债接续则意味着后续对于负债的工作要加快清理,包括负债的展期、债转股、资产出售以清偿债务等工作;权益补充意味着后续要鼓励各类优质企业积极做战略投资者,包括央国企、保险公司等企业,同时会强调对于企业资本金的注入和确保资金状况的稳健;预期提升意味着要不断修复投资者对于中国房企的看法,尤其是各类金融机构企业。严跃进认为,要不断减少企业违约的风险,同时强化今年房企销售的目标值,进而促进“金融-房企-销售市场”等渠道的顺畅。
加大住房租赁金融支持
会议还强调,要配合有关部门和地方政府扎实做好保交楼、保民生、保稳定各项工作,运用好保交楼专项借款、保交楼贷款支持计划等政策工具,积极提供配套融资支持,维护住房消费者合法权益。要落实好16条金融支持房地产市场平稳健康发展的政策措施,用好民营企业债券融资支持工具(“第二支箭”),保持房企信贷、债券等融资渠道稳定,满足行业合理融资需求。
要因城施策实施好差别化住房信贷政策,更好支持刚性和改善性住房需求,加大住房租赁金融支持,做好新市民、青年人等住房金融服务,推动加快建立“租购并举”住房制度。
“会议释放继续落实好稳楼市一揽子政策措施,促进房地产平稳健康发展,有助于提振房地产信心。”光大银行金融市场部宏观研究员周茂华告诉北京商报记者,随着国内经济稳步复苏,就业和收入改善,稳楼市政策落地见效,市场信心回暖,楼市需求复苏向供给端传导,后续楼市需求有望加快恢复。
另外,业内也认为,满足合理的改善性需求,是下一步稳定房地产市场、扩大内需的重要方面。正如中国人民大学国家发展与战略研究院高级研究员、城市更新研究中心主任秦虹指出,2022年,影响房地产需求的三大因素,主要是正常市场总量下台阶、三年疫情影响导致老百姓失业和减薪,对收入预期的不稳定以及供给端风险不断爆雷。
在秦虹看来,随着近期密集出台的一系列关于房地产的融资支持性政策,2023年房地产企业有望回归常态。总体而言,房地产调控要做好保障性住房的建设,完善房地产市场的基础性制度;同时尽可能尊重市场,此外,也要支持新发展阶段房地产企业新模式形成,改变过去高负债、高杠杆、高周转的传统模式。
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)