二、美式民主失序引發(fā)政治亂象
II. American Democracy Disorder Triggers Political Chaos

美國(guó)自詡為民主制度的“樣板”，動(dòng)輒打著所謂維護(hù)民主、自由、人權(quán)的旗號(hào)對(duì)許多國(guó)家指手畫(huà)腳、肆意打壓。然而，金錢(qián)政治痼疾深重，民意操縱與謊言泛濫，美式民主不僅難以彌合日益極化的政治分歧，反而進(jìn)一步加劇了美國(guó)社會(huì)的撕裂，導(dǎo)致美國(guó)民眾的公民權(quán)利和政治權(quán)利有名無(wú)實(shí)。
Touting itself as the beacon of democracy, the United States has wantonly leveled criticism against and oppressed many other countries under the guise of upholding democracy, freedom and human rights. However, the U.S. society has been plagued by deep-rooted money politics, unchecked public opinion manipulation and rampant lies, and American democracy has further aggravated social division instead of bridging the increasingly polarized political differences. As a result, the American people enjoy their civil and political rights in name only.

金錢(qián)支配下的政治選舉實(shí)質(zhì)上成為“錢(qián)決”。金錢(qián)是美國(guó)政治的驅(qū)動(dòng)力。美國(guó)的金錢(qián)政治扭曲了民意，把選舉搞成了富人階層的“獨(dú)角戲”。2020年美國(guó)總統(tǒng)和國(guó)會(huì)選舉的總支出高達(dá)140億美元，是2016年的2倍多。其中，總統(tǒng)選舉花費(fèi)再創(chuàng)歷史紀(jì)錄，達(dá)到66億美元；國(guó)會(huì)選舉花費(fèi)超過(guò)70億美元。美國(guó)消費(fèi)者新聞與商業(yè)頻道網(wǎng)站2020年11月1日?qǐng)?bào)道，在2020年的選舉周期中，排在前10位的捐款者捐款總額超過(guò)6.4億美元。除公開(kāi)登記的選舉捐款外，大量秘密資金和“黑錢(qián)”充斥著2020年的美國(guó)大選。根據(jù)紐約大學(xué)布倫南司法研究中心的分析，匿名捐款的“黑錢(qián)”組織通過(guò)廣告支出和向各類(lèi)超級(jí)政治行動(dòng)委員會(huì)提供的捐款創(chuàng)了新的紀(jì)錄，共為2020年的選舉投入7.5億多美元。（注9）
Influence of money in electoral politics essentially makes it a money-led election. Money is the driving force of American politics. America’s money politics has distorted public opinion, turning elections into a “one-man show” for the rich. The amount spent on the 2020 U.S. presidential and congressional campaigns hit nearly 14 billion U.S. dollars, more than double what was spent in the 2016 election. The presidential campaign saw a record high of 6.6 billion U.S. dollars in total spending, while congressional races finished with over 7 billion U.S. dollars. According to a Nov. 1, 2020 report on the website of CNBC, the top 10 donors in the 2020 U.S. election cycle contributed over 640 million U.S. dollars. In addition to publicly registered election donations, a large amount of secret funds and dark money flooded the 2020 U.S. elections. According to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, dark money groups poured more than 750 million U.S. dollars into 2020 elections through ad spending and record-breaking contributions to political committees such as super political action committees.

民眾對(duì)選舉的信任陷入危機(jī)。蓋洛普公司網(wǎng)站2020年10月8日公布的調(diào)查顯示，對(duì)總統(tǒng)選舉非常有信心的受訪者比例僅有19%，創(chuàng)下自2004年以來(lái)該調(diào)查的最低紀(jì)錄?！度A爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》網(wǎng)站2020年11月9日評(píng)論稱，在2020年的選舉中，人們對(duì)美國(guó)民主制度的信心下降至20年來(lái)最低點(diǎn)。
Public trust in U.S. elections was in crisis. According to Gallup’s figures released on Oct. 8, 2020, only 19 percent of Americans say they are “very confident” about the accuracy of the presidential election, the lowest Gallup has recorded in its trend dating back to 2004. According to a commentary carried by the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 9, 2020, the 2020 U.S. election can be seen as the culmination of a two-decade period of decline in faith in the basic building blocks of democracy.

政治極化現(xiàn)象日益嚴(yán)重。共和黨和民主黨之間的對(duì)立逐漸從政策之爭(zhēng)變?yōu)樯矸葜疇?zhēng)，政治部落屬性日趨明顯，兩黨在諸多重大公共事項(xiàng)上僵持不下、無(wú)所作為，使國(guó)家治理陷入低效無(wú)能的泥淖。政客自甘墮落爭(zhēng)權(quán)奪利，相互傾軋、攻訐纏斗成為美國(guó)的基本政治生態(tài)，各種丑陋攻擊和低俗抹黑競(jìng)相上演。支持不同黨派的選民在極端政客的挑唆煽動(dòng)之下勢(shì)不兩立，情緒日趨狂熱、溝通愈發(fā)艱難，仇恨政治演變?yōu)橐粓?chǎng)全國(guó)性的瘟疫，成為社會(huì)持續(xù)動(dòng)蕩撕裂的根源。皮尤研究中心網(wǎng)站2020年11月13日?qǐng)?bào)道，美國(guó)社會(huì)出現(xiàn)了不同尋常的政治分裂。民主黨人和共和黨人之間在經(jīng)濟(jì)、種族、氣候變化、執(zhí)法、國(guó)際參與以及其他一系列問(wèn)題上的分歧日益鮮明。2020年的總統(tǒng)選舉使這些根深蒂固的分歧進(jìn)一步深化。選舉前一個(gè)月，兩黨候選人的支持者中有約80%的登記選民表示，他們與另一方的分歧不僅在于政治和政策上的不同，更在于核心價(jià)值觀上的對(duì)立，約90%的選民擔(dān)心對(duì)方的勝選會(huì)對(duì)美國(guó)造成“持久傷害”。
Political polarization grew. Disagreement between Democrats and Republicans has gradually changed from policy differences to identity battles with increasingly obvious political tribalism. The two parties have ended in deadlocks on many major public issues, thus leading to inefficient and incompetent state governance. Power plays between rival politicians in dogfights have become the hallmark of American politics, which saw a variety of shows featuring ugly attacks and vulgar smears. Voters supporting different parties are at loggerheads under the instigation of extreme politicians. Dominated by growing political fanaticism, the two camps are increasingly harder to talk to each other. Hate politics raged through the country and became the root cause of constant social unrest and division. According to a Nov. 13, 2020 report by Pew Research Center, America is exceptional in the nature of its political divide. There has been an increasingly stark disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on economy, racial justice, climate change, law enforcement, international engagement and a long list of other issues. The 2020 presidential election exacerbated these deep-seated divides. A month before the election, roughly 80 percent of the registered voters in both camps said their differences with the other side were about more than just politics and policies, but also about core American values, and about 90 percent in both camps worried that a victory by the other would lead to “l(fā)asting harm” to the United States.

權(quán)力制衡異化為否決政治。兩黨分裂強(qiáng)化了美國(guó)體制中固有的否決現(xiàn)象，權(quán)力分割和權(quán)力制衡變異為相互否決。兩黨惡斗不止，使國(guó)會(huì)陷入癱瘓，決策陷入僵局。在疫情暴發(fā)失控的危機(jī)局面下，兩黨不僅在諸多議題上一再纏斗，還把應(yīng)對(duì)疫情沖擊的第二輪紓困法案當(dāng)作競(jìng)選工具，為了撈取選票拉鋸扯皮拒不妥協(xié)，導(dǎo)致數(shù)百萬(wàn)底層民眾生計(jì)艱難。否決政治造成國(guó)會(huì)和行政系統(tǒng)、聯(lián)邦和州的尖銳對(duì)立。疫情期間，共和黨總統(tǒng)和民主黨占多數(shù)的眾議院矛盾不斷，聯(lián)邦政府與民主黨執(zhí)政的“藍(lán)州”沖突頻發(fā)，不僅同各州搶奪抗疫物資，還屢屢和“藍(lán)州”執(zhí)行截然相反的疫情應(yīng)對(duì)政策，導(dǎo)致民眾無(wú)所適從。馬薩諸塞州緊急購(gòu)買(mǎi)的300萬(wàn)個(gè)N95口罩在運(yùn)抵紐約港后竟被聯(lián)邦政府?dāng)r截。
Power checks and balances have mutated into veto politics. The bipartisan divides intensified the veto practices inherent in the American system. The separation, check and balance of power have turned into vetoing each other. The two parties engaged in ferocious battles, paralyzing the Congress and deadlocking the decision-making. While the outbreak of COVID-19 went out of control, the two parties not only brawled with each other on multiple issues, but also took the bill for the second round of COVID-19 relief measures as their campaigning tool for election. The two parties filibustered and stalled each other for votes, leaving millions of grassroots people in livelihood predicament. The veto politics has caused acute confrontations between the Congress and the administrative system, as well as between the federal and state authorities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, frequent contradictions have taken place between the Republican president and the Democrats-dominated House of Representatives, and between the federal government and Democratic “blue states.” The federal government competed with the states in the scramble for anti-virus supplies, and was often at odds with the “blue states” in epidemic response policies, thus causing people to be at a loss. Massachusetts once arranged to buy 3 million N95 masks for urgent needs, but federal authorities seized them at the Port of New York.

選后暴亂凸顯美式民主危機(jī)。選舉沒(méi)有解決美國(guó)政治分歧，反而使對(duì)立白熱化。英國(guó)《衛(wèi)報(bào)》網(wǎng)站2020年11月4日指出，無(wú)論誰(shuí)贏得選舉，美國(guó)仍然是一個(gè)嚴(yán)重分裂的國(guó)家，憤怒和仇恨將成為政治遺產(chǎn)。敗選的共和黨陣營(yíng)指控大選存在多項(xiàng)欺詐，不接受總統(tǒng)選舉結(jié)果，在密歇根州、威斯康星州、賓夕法尼亞州和佐治亞州等提出訴訟，并對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)剡x舉官員施壓和恐嚇，要求重新計(jì)票以推翻選舉結(jié)果。特朗普一再堅(jiān)稱絕不接受選舉結(jié)果，并號(hào)召支持者前往華盛頓抗議國(guó)會(huì)確認(rèn)選舉結(jié)果，選舉爭(zhēng)議最終演變?yōu)楸﹣y。
The post-election riots highlighted the American democracy crisis. The election did not resolve the political differences in the United States, but heated up social confrontation. A Nov. 4, 2020 report on the website of the Guardian noted that whoever won the 2020 election, America would remain a country bitterly divided and the politics of anger and hatred would be the legacy. Claiming that the election was tainted by fraud, the defeated Republican camp refused to accept the presidential election results and filed lawsuits in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia, calling for a recount of ballots to overturn the election by pressuring and intimidating local election officials. Donald Trump repeatedly insisted that he would never accept the election defeat, calling on his supporters to protest against the congressional certification of the election result in Washington, D.C. The election dispute eventually turned into riots.

2021年1月6日，拒絕接受選舉結(jié)果的上萬(wàn)名示威者在華盛頓舉行“拯救美國(guó)”示威集會(huì)，大批示威者隨后越過(guò)警衛(wèi)線翻墻闖入國(guó)會(huì)大廈，與警察發(fā)生激烈肢體沖突。警察發(fā)射催淚彈并開(kāi)槍射擊，國(guó)會(huì)議員們戴著防護(hù)面罩慌忙躲避，示威者占領(lǐng)會(huì)場(chǎng)后肆意妄為。事件造成數(shù)人死亡，導(dǎo)致正在認(rèn)證選舉結(jié)果的參眾兩院聯(lián)席會(huì)議被迫中斷，華盛頓特區(qū)相繼進(jìn)入宵禁和緊急狀態(tài)。美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)警察局局長(zhǎng)史蒂文·桑德2021年1月7日稱，成千上萬(wàn)參與暴力騷亂的人用金屬管、化學(xué)刺激物和其他武器襲擊警察，華盛頓特區(qū)和國(guó)會(huì)大廈共有50多名警察受傷。警察總計(jì)逮捕了100多人。2021年1月7日，聯(lián)合國(guó)人權(quán)事務(wù)高級(jí)專員米歇爾·巴切萊特發(fā)表聲明稱，該事件清楚地表明了政治領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人持續(xù)、蓄意歪曲事實(shí)以及煽動(dòng)暴力和仇恨所造成的破壞性影響。
On Jan. 6, 2021, tens of thousands of protesters who refused to accept the election defeat staged a “Save America” rally in Washington, D.C. A large number of protesters breached security and stormed into the Capitol building, where they tussled with police officers. Members of the U.S. Congress were hurriedly evacuated wearing their gas masks, as the police fired tear gas and shot to disperse the protesters. Protesters acted recklessly after occupying the venue. The riots resulted in multiple injuries and an interruption of the congressional certification of the electoral victory. Washington, D.C. imposed curfew and entered a state of emergency. On Jan. 7, 2021, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said that thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions attacked officers with metal pipes, chemical irritants and other weapons, injuring more than 50 police officers. The police arrested more than 100 people in total. On Jan. 7, 2021, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that the attack on the U.S. Capitol demonstrated clearly the destructive impact of sustained, deliberate distortion of facts, and incitement to violence and hatred by political leaders.

華盛頓上演的政治亂象令世界震驚。美國(guó)媒體稱這是美國(guó)現(xiàn)代史上權(quán)力移交第一次“在華盛頓權(quán)力走廊內(nèi)演變成一場(chǎng)實(shí)體對(duì)抗”，“暴力、混亂和破壞動(dòng)搖了美國(guó)民主的核心”，是“對(duì)美國(guó)民主燈塔形象的一記重?fù)簟薄７▏?guó)《費(fèi)加羅報(bào)》評(píng)論稱，這一暴力事件激化了美國(guó)社會(huì)不同陣營(yíng)間的怨恨和不信任，使美國(guó)陷入新的政治危機(jī)?！锻饨徽摺吩u(píng)論稱，美國(guó)已經(jīng)變成了美國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人經(jīng)常譴責(zé)的樣子：無(wú)法在權(quán)力交接過(guò)程中避免暴力和流血破壞。黎巴嫩外交官穆罕默德·薩法在社交媒體發(fā)表評(píng)論稱：“如果美國(guó)看到美國(guó)正對(duì)美國(guó)做的事，美國(guó)肯定會(huì)入侵美國(guó)，以從美國(guó)暴政的手中解放美國(guó)?！?br>The political chaos in Washington shocked the world. American media called it the first time in modern American history that the power transfer has turned into a real combat in the Washington corridor of power. They blamed that violence, chaos and vandalism had shaken the American democracy to the core, dealing a heavy blow to America’s image as a democratic beacon. The French daily Le Figaro commented that the violent incident stoked up the resentment and distrust among different camps in American society, plunging America into an unknown situation. The Foreign Policy said in a commentary that the United States has become what its leaders used to condemn: being unable to avoid violence and bloody destruction during transfer of power. Lebanese diplomat Mohamad Safa commented via social media, “If the United States saw what the United States is doing in the United States, the United States would invade the United States to liberate the United States from the tyranny of the United States.”