热评丨新年喜看新活力，提振信心在行动******
今年元旦假期，各地消费复苏回暖趋势明显。元旦小长假，全国铁路日均发送旅客508万人次，较去年11月份日均旅客发送量增长109%；“2023全国网上年货节”首日，全国网络零售额452亿元，比去年年货节首日增长6.5%；不少餐馆再现门庭若市、排队等号的场面，故宫博物院、北京环球度假区等景区也重现如潮的人流。
告别不容易的2022年，2023年元旦假期的复苏势头，给今年的经济形势开了个好头。在疫情防控政策优化调整后的首个消费节点，城市的“烟火气”归来了，人们“出门转一转”的热情提升了，而这背后则是社会经济恢复常态，进一步繁荣发展的内在动力与强大意愿。
总需求不足是当前经济运行中面临的突出矛盾。着力扩大国内需求，是今年经济工作的重点。恢复堂食、跨省旅游等一系列措施，让人们沉积已久的需求得到释放。更重要的是，人们对美好生活的向往没有变，对幸福的追求没有变。
社会心理的预期，离不开实实在在、求真务实的行动。有的地方通过发放消费券等形式，让市民游客得到“真金白银”的实惠；在国家继续新能源汽车免征车辆购置税政策的基础上，有的地方出台促进汽车消费的惠民政策；正值年货消费高潮，线上线下丰富多彩的购物节、打折促销活动，不断优化消费体验，满足了消费者“一站式购物”的愿望。真招数、巧办法正在相继出台，激活民众的消费意愿和需求。
去年年底召开的中央经济工作会议提出，切实落实“两个毫不动摇”。“要从制度和法律上把对国企民企平等对待的要求落下来，从政策和舆论上鼓励支持民营经济和民营企业发展壮大。依法保护民营企业产权和企业家权益。”大力提振市场信心，是促进经济稳步快速回升的又一个重点。
连日来，各地出台诸多惠企政策，增强市场主体信心，直指“拼经济”目标。一些地方的党政领导专门召开企业座谈会，与企业家一起谋划经济发展，为企业纾困。政府通过组织企业集中签约大项目，组团出海揽订单，积极开拓维护市场，抢抓外贸发展先机。有的地方还鼓励企业给外地员工发放新春红包，以缓解春节前后用工难题。
在增强企业信心、出台务实纾困政策的同时，也要对经济修复的复杂性有足够估计，付出更大努力。中央经济工作会议强调，坚持推动经济发展在法治轨道上运行，依法保护产权和知识产权，恪守契约精神，营造市场化、法治化、国际化一流营商环境。进一步完善“顶层设计”，保护企业产权，企业家吃下了“定心丸”。
元旦消费掀起小高潮，工厂车间忙碌有序的场面再现，再次验证中国经济韧性强、潜力足、回旋余地广，长期向好的基本面不会改变。只要坚定信心、乘势而上，我们一定能迎来更加光明的发展前景。
（文丨王钟的）
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.
