三、玩弄虚假民主践踏政治权利
III. Playing with Fake Democracy Tramples on Political Rights文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
政治献金导致选后利益输送，政治极化使得社会对立和分裂进一步加剧，限制投票资格的立法和选区划分成为政党压制民意的工具，政治运行日益脱离公众意愿和社会需要，多数民众参与政治的权利实质上被剥夺，国际社会对美国民主制度的信心持续下降。文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
Political donations bring about transfers of interests after elections, political polarization further intensifies antagonism and division in the U.S. society, and legislation and gerrymander restricting voting eligibility have become tools for parties to suppress the public opinion. The operation of the U.S. political system is moving away from the public will and social demands, the right of the majority of the public to participate in politics is essentially deprived of, and international confidence in the U.S. democratic system continues to decline.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
美式民主沦为利益输送游戏。美国金钱政治愈演愈烈，政客日益罔顾民众利益诉求。麻省理工学院政治评论家与社会活动家诺姆·乔姆斯基表示，美国人对政策制定的影响力与他们的财富水平之间呈正相关性，约70%的美国人对政策制定没有任何影响，他们在收入水平、财富等方面处于劣势，相当于被剥夺了参政权利。马萨诸塞州大学教授贾拉拉贾在《大西洋》月刊发表文章称，美国目前的民主只是形式上的民主，而不是实质民主。总统选举的全国范围初选完全受富人、名人、媒体和利益集团的操纵，民众投票支持的总统参选人往往不真正代表民意。英国《卫报》网站2021年1月7日报道，美国两党候选人在2020年选举周期内仅广告花费即高达140亿美元。美国消费者新闻与商业频道网站2021年4月15日报道，华尔街在2020年美国选举期间资助竞选和政治游说的花费高达29亿美元。《政客》网站2021年11月17日刊文称，一个秘密资金集团在2020年向民主党提供了4.1亿美元资金，帮助民主党夺回参议院控制权。在2020年总统选举中，美国制药企业针对两党进行了大量政治捐款，民主党政府上台后“投桃报李”投入巨额资金回馈相关企业，仅莫德纳公司就获益近10亿美元。随后联邦政府通过大量采购新冠疫苗，直接向制药企业输送利益，造成美国疫苗大量囤积浪费。美国政府在新冠疫苗定价上放任制药企业，导致疫苗价格持续上涨。英国《金融时报》报道称，辉瑞公司供应欧盟的新冠疫苗单价从15.5欧元涨至19.5欧元，莫德纳公司的新冠疫苗价格则从每剂19欧元涨至25.5欧元，而据估计每剂莫德纳疫苗的生产成本还不到3美元。文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
The American-style democracy has descended to a game of transferring interests. Money politics become increasingly rampant in the United States, which makes politicians more neglectful of people’s interests and demands.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13050.html
Noam Chomsky, a political commentator and social activist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has pointed out that there is a positive correlation between Americans’ wealth and their influence on policy-making, and for about 70 percent on the income-wealth scale, they have no influence on policy whatsoever and are effectively disenfranchised. Ray La Raja, professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, noted in an article for The Atlantic that America’s current system is democratic only in form, not in substance, as the nominating process is vulnerable to manipulation by plutocrats, celebrities, media figures and activists, while many presidential-primary voters mistakenly back candidates who do not reflect their views.
According to The Guardian on Jan. 7, 2021, candidates spent 14 billion U.S. dollars alone on advertising for the 2020 U.S. president election cycle. The U.S. Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) reported on April 15, 2021 that Wall Street executives, their employees and trade associations invested at least 2.9 billion U.S. dollars into political initiatives during the 2020 election cycle. The U.S. media outlet Politico said on Nov. 17, 2021 that a secret-money group “doled out” 410 million U.S. dollars in 2020 to the Democratic Party, aiding the latter’s efforts to win back control of the Senate.
In the 2020 presidential election, U.S. pharmaceutical companies made huge political donations to both parties, and the Democratic administration, after taking office, invested an enormous sum of money back to the companies involved, with Moderna alone earning profit of nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars. The federal government then funneled interests directly to pharmaceutical companies by purchasing large quantities of COVID-19 vaccines, resulting in massive hoarding and waste of vaccines in the United States. The U.S. government gave pharmaceutical companies a free hand in pricing COVID-19 vaccines, leading to continuous increases in vaccine prices. The Financial Times reported that Pfizer raised the price of its COVID-19 vaccine for the European Union from 15.5 euros to 19.5 euros, and the price of a Moderna jab increased to 25.5 euros from 19 euros. However, the production cost of a Moderna dose is estimated to be less than 3 U.S. dollars.
政治极化导致社会愈益撕裂。美国的选举乱象使政治极化进一步加剧，社会持续撕裂动荡。2021年1月6日下午，在极端政客的煽动操弄下，成千上万拒不接受2020年总统选举结果的美国民众涌入华盛顿，大批示威者强行闯入国会大厦，与警卫发生激烈冲突，造成5人死亡、140多人受伤，总统选举结果法定认证程序被迫中断。布鲁金斯学会网站2021年5月报道，在2020年美国总统选举结束后，尽管50个州全都认证了选举的结果，但仍有77%的共和党选民以选举舞弊为由质疑当选总统的合法性，这是近百年来的第一次。政府更替并没有改变美国政治极化现象。美国社会在疫情防控、种族关系、堕胎权利、枪支管控等问题上日趋对立，民主、共和两党在基础设施建设、社会福利法案、政府债务上限等涉及经济民生立法方面的政治斗争更加激烈，国会几近失能。共和党领袖甚至不惜在国会发表长达8.5小时的创纪录演讲，以阻止和拖延民主党所提法案的表决。皮尤研究中心网站2021年10月13日报道，对17个发达经济体进行的调查结果显示，美国被视为政治极化最严重的国家，90%的美国受访者认为不同党派的支持者之间存在严重分歧，近六成美国受访者认为民众不仅在政策领域意见相左，在基本事实方面也难以达成共识。
Political polarization leads to an increasingly divided U.S. society. The election chaos in the United States has further intensified political polarization and continues to tear the society apart. On the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, prompted by the incitement and manipulation of extreme politicians, tens of thousands of Americans who rejected the 2020 presidential election result flooded to Washington, D.C., and a large number of demonstrators forced their way into the Capitol building and clashed with police, leaving five dead and more than 140 injured. The constitutional process to affirm the presidential election result was interrupted. A Brookings online article in May 2021 indicated that though all 50 states certified the 2020 election results, 77 percent of Republican voters still questioned the legitimacy of the elected president due to allegations of electoral fraud, a phenomenon that happened for the first time in nearly 100 years.
Changes of government did not reduce or remove the political polarization in the United States. The American people are becoming more incompatible with each other over such issues as pandemic prevention and control, race relations, abortion rights and gun control, while the political struggle between Democrats and Republicans over infrastructure construction, social welfare bills, government debt ceiling and other legislation related to the economy and people’s livelihood have become more intense, and the Congress has been nearly dysfunctional. A Republican leader even went so far as to deliver a record 8.5-hour speech in the Congress to block and delay a vote on a Democratic-proposed bill.
The Pew Research Center reported on Oct. 13, 2021 that the United States was regarded as the most politically polarized country in a survey involving 17 advanced economies, as 90 percent of the American respondents said there are at least strong conflicts between those who support different parties, and about six-in-ten thought their fellow citizens disagree not only over policies, but also over basic facts.
政党对立压制损害选民投票权利。共和党和民主党为了胜选，利用立法和选区划分等手段疯狂压制不利于自己的选民投票。2021年美国有49个州提出了超过420项限制选民投票的提案。这些提案有的压缩选民申请或邮寄选票的时间，有的限制提供投递地点，有的对邮寄投票提出更严格的签名要求，有的对选民身份制定新的、更严格的要求，使邮寄投票和提前投票变得更加困难，为老年人、残疾人、少数族裔等群体行使投票权设置重重障碍。美国全国广播公司网站2021年3月8日报道，佐治亚州正在推动数十项将目标指向非洲裔选民的限制投票法案。民权人士认为，“这场运动构成了一场全国性的攻击，将把有色人种赶出选民范围”。
Confrontations between political parties restrain and harm electors’ right to vote. In order to win elections, Republicans and Democrats used legislation and gerrymander as well as other tactics to aggressively prevent voters who do not favor them from casting a ballot. In 2021, 49 states in the United States introduced more than 420 bills that would restrict voting. These bills either reduced the amount of time voters have to request or mail in a ballot, restricted the availability of drop-off locations, imposed stricter signature requirements for mail-in voting, or enacted new and stricter voter-ID requirements, which made mail-in voting and early voting harder and built barriers for the elderly, disabled, minorities and other groups to exercise their voting rights. NBC News reported on March 8, 2021 that the state of Georgia was pushing dozens of restrictive voting bills targeting African American voters. Voting rights experts and civil rights groups have argued that “the movement adds up to a national assault that would push voters of color out of the electorate.”
选区划分成为压制少数族裔选民政治影响力的工具。美国两党利用自己在各州的政治操控，通过重划国会选区来增加胜选机会，这样做的结果往往以牺牲少数族裔权利为代价。美国消费者新闻与商业频道网站2021年8月13日报道，重新划定国会选区的做法往往针对有色人种的选民，仅密歇根州、俄亥俄州和宾夕法尼亚州的选区划分，就能够使共和党人多得到16至17个国会席位。《芝加哥论坛报》2021年9月3日报道，伊利诺伊州对选区的重新划分，旨在让民主党至少十年内继续控制该州立法机构。公民自由联盟网站2021年11月30日报道，俄亥俄州重新划分的选区严重偏向共和党，尽管共和党仅获得该州55%的选民支持，却能得到67%至80%的议会席位。《洛杉矶时报》网站2021年12月8日报道，虽然有色人种数量在得克萨斯州大幅增加，但得克萨斯州的选区划分故意削弱拉美裔和非洲裔选民的权力。拉美裔占得克萨斯州总人口的近40%，但38个国会选区中只有7个是以拉美裔为主的。得克萨斯州是美国非洲裔人口最多的州，但该州的38个国会选区中没有一个是以非洲裔为主的。在针对美国民众关于国会选区划分公正性的调查中，仅有16%的受访者认为自己所在的州能够公平地划分选区。⑤
Gerrymander has become a tool to suppress the political influence of minority voters. The Democratic and Republican parties exploit their political clout in each state to increase the chances of winning by redrawing congressional districts, often at the expense of the rights of minorities.
CNBC reported on Aug. 13, 2021 that the practice of redrawing congressional districts often targets voters of color and the gerrymandering in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania alone gave Republicans 16 to 17 more congressional seats. Daily newspaper the Chicago Tribune reported on Sept. 3, 2021 that Illinois’ redistricting aimed to keep Democrats in control of the state legislature for at least a decade. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported on Nov. 30, 2021 that the redrawn congressional districts for Ohio give Republicans an unconstitutional partisan advantage, with which the Republicans can anticipate winning 67 percent to 80 percent of the congressional seats – even though they are only likely to obtain about 55 percent of the vote.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Dec. 8, 2021 that although Texas has seen a significant increase of the number of people of color, its new redistricting plan intentionally diminished the power of Latino and African American voters. Latino Texans make up nearly 40 percent of the population, but just seven of the 38 congressional districts are predominantly Latino. Texas is home to the largest African American population in the country, but not one of the 38 congressional districts in the state is predominantly black. In a survey of the American public on the fairness of congressional districting, only 16 percent of the surveyed thought that congressional districts would be re-drawn fairly in their states.
国际社会对美国民主信心持续下降。哈佛大学肯尼迪政府学院政治学研究所网站2021年12月1日报道，一项针对美国18岁至29岁年轻人的全国性民意调查显示，只有7%的受访者认为美国民主制度尚属“健康”，有52%的受访者认为美国的民主已经“陷入困境”或“失败”。皮尤研究中心2021年5月发布的调查数据显示，美国公众对政府的信任度接近1958年以来的历史低点，只有2%的美国人表示可以相信美国政府“几乎总是”做正确的事情，只有22%的美国人表示可以相信美国政府“大部分时间”做正确的事情。
The international community’s confidence in U.S. democracy continues to decline. A national poll of America’s 18- to 29-year-olds released on Dec. 1, 2021 by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School showed that only 7 percent of the surveyed viewed the United States as a “healthy democracy,” and 52 percent believed that the American democracy is either “in trouble” or “failing.” Data released by the Pew Research Center in May 2021 indicated that the American public trust in the government neared a historic low since 1958, as only 2 percent of Americans said they can trust the U.S. government to do what is right “just about always,” and only 22 percent said they can trust the government to do what is right “most of the time.”
《华盛顿邮报》网站2021年6月12日发表评论文章称，美国民主过去几年的混乱错乱和功能失调令世界震惊，成为盟友眼中一件破碎的废品。英国首相约翰逊称发生在美国国会山的乱象是“可耻”的。德国总统施泰因迈尔认为，美国国会大厦暴力事件乱象是政治高层散布重重谎言、蔑视民主、煽动仇恨和分裂导致的恶果。调查显示，只有14%的德国人、不到10%的新西兰人认为美国民主是其他国家的理想模式。尽管自身民主实践和国际形象一败涂地，美国政府却高调举办所谓的“领导人民主峰会”，将民主政治化、工具化，大搞选边站队，拉帮结派，分裂世界。所谓的“领导人民主峰会”，实质上是“破坏全球民主”的峰会，受到国际社会广泛批评和谴责。法国政治学者多米尼克·莫伊西认为，美国四处鼓吹民主，自己却做得很差。《今日美国报》《纽约时报》等美国媒体也纷纷评论称，“美国的民主正在分崩离析，必须先解决自己民主上的失败”“在美国国内面临诸多问题的时候，人们质疑美国能否充当一个合格的民主代言人”。
In an opinion published on June 12, 2021, The Washington Post said that in the past few years the world has been horrified by the chaos, dysfunction and insanity of American democracy, which was seen by U.S. allies as a shattered and washed-up has-been. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said what happened on the Capital Hill was “disgraceful.” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the Capitol riot was “the result of lies and more lies, of divisiveness and contempt for democracy, of hatred and incitement – even from the very highest level.” A research has showed that just 14 percent of Germans and fewer than 10 percent citizens in New Zealand saw American democracy as a desirable model for other countries.
French political scientist Dominique Moisi said that it is always difficult to preach what one does so badly itself. USA TODAY, The New York Times, and other American media have also commented that American democracy is “falling apart” and the United States must first address its own failings, and that critics questioned “whether the United States could be an effective advocate for democracy amid problems at home.”
