Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy was finally elected speaker of the US House of Representatives early Saturday last week, ending a paralyzing standoff with right-wing holdouts that raised concerns about his party’s ability to exercise power in Congress.
McCarthy’s victory required an historic 15 rounds of voting and was secured only after a late-night session of high drama that saw Republican members almost come to blows as tempers flared.
It also required major concessions to the small group of Republican conservatives who had opposed his candidacy, and turned what would normally be a showcase of party unity into a days-long display of internal division.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
The speaker wields key influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
As he accepted the gavel in the early hours of Saturday, McCarthy, who was backed by former US president Donald Trump, outlined the Republicans’ aggressive lines of attack ahead of the 2024 presidential race.
He vowed to “pass bills to fix the nation’s challenges, from the wide open Southern border to ‘America last’ energy policies, to woke indoctrination in our schools.”
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
On “America’s long-term challenges -- the debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party -- Congress must be with one voice,” the 57-year-old Californian told the House.
McCarthy, who represents the conservative enclave of Bakersfield, California, has been in politics since his late teens.
The son of a firefighter and grandson of a cattle rancher, he married his high school sweetheart.
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
His career has soared since he became the minority Republican leader in the California Assembly in 2003, just one year after being elected.
Four years later, he was elected to Washington, and moved rapidly up the ladder in the House as a team player and organizer who readily bared his ambition to become party leader.
Affable in the face of adversity, and a prolific fundraiser for his fellow lawmakers, McCarthy is no policy strategist or conservative ideologue.
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
Instead, his rise has come from his willingness to tackle the tricky task of trying to keep his party -- which has been turned upside down by Trump -- on the rails and focused on opposing the Democrats’ agenda.
But it remains to be seen if he can charm hardline conservative dissidents.
McCarthy’s seeming lack of deep ideological underpinnings and his skepticism of party hardliners has made him a regular target of the Republican right, especially Trump supporters.
(AFP)
上週六凌晨，共和黨熱門人選凱文‧麥卡錫終於當選美國眾議院議長，結束了與右翼勢力的僵持局面，這僵局令人對共和黨是否能在國會行使權力感到憂心。
經過了歷史性的15輪投票，議事挑燈夜戰、共和黨成員幾乎上演全武行的火爆場面後，麥卡錫才得以勝出。
麥卡錫之所以能勝選，其中因素還包括反對他參選的一小群共和黨保守派做出重大讓步，讓這通常是展示黨內團結的場合變成長達數天的內部分裂家醜外揚。
美國眾議院議長在華盛頓主持眾議院事務，影響力很大，是美國總統的第二順位繼承人，僅次於副總統。
獲前總統唐納‧川普背書的麥卡錫，在接下議事槌時概述了共和黨在2024年總統大選之前的激進路線。
他誓言「通過法案來解決國家所面臨的挑戰，從門戶洞開的南部邊境到『美國最後』的能源政策，再到我們學校中的思想覺醒」。
這位57歲的加州人對眾議院表示，「對於美國的長期挑戰——債務和中國共產黨的崛起——國會必須口徑一致」。
麥卡錫代表加州的保守派飛地貝克斯菲爾德，他從十多歲就踏入政壇。
他是消防員之子、養牛場主之孫，娶了高中時代的戀人為妻。
當選加州議員僅一年後，他在2003年成為加州議會的少數派共和黨領袖，自此他的從政之路步步高升。
四年後，他獲選進入華盛頓國會殿堂，並作為合群的團隊成員及動員者在眾議院迅速晉升，並毫不遲疑展現成為黨魁的抱負。
麥卡錫在逆境中表現得和藹可親，且經常為其他議員募款，他既不是政策戰略家，也不是保守派思想家。
相反地，他的崛起是因為他願意解決一項棘手的任務，即試圖讓他的政黨——已經被川普搞得天翻地覆——保持正常運轉，並聚焦反對民主黨的議程。
但他是否能夠吸引持不同政見的強硬保守派，仍有待觀察。
麥卡錫似乎缺乏深刻的意識形態基礎，而且他對黨內強硬派持懷疑態度，這使他經常成為共和黨右翼的攻擊目標，尤其是川普的支持者。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
A festive time of light 元宵佳節知多少 Occurring on the 15th day of the initial month of the Lunar New Year, when the first full moon appears, the Lantern Festival is a festive time that continues the good cheer and celebration sparked by Chinese New Year. It also simultaneously marks the end of that annual event. It’s a time when lanterns and other colorful lights and decorations adorn stores, businesses, and streets in Chinese communities around the globe. Aside from honoring ancestors, the festival is also meant to foster peace, forgiveness, and harmony. Lantern displays are the center of attention during the Lantern Festival in Taiwan. Parks across
Eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival Lunar New Year celebrations traditionally conclude with the Lantern Festival, which is on the 15th day of the first lunar month. With every household decorated with lanterns and streamers, the Lantern Festival can be seen as an extended New Year celebration. Lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival can be traced to the Western Han Dynasty in China. The 15th day of the first lunar month is the first full moon of the year, and has the significance of a new start. People light lanterns to pray for a bumper harvest in the coming
你叫什麼名字？ What’s your name? 對話 Dialogue 馬可：你好！你叫什麼名字？ Make: Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? 小實：我叫小實，你呢？ Xiaoshi: Wǒ jiào Xiǎoshí, nǐ ne? 馬可：我叫馬可。 Make: Wǒ jiào Mǎkě. 小實：馬可，你是美國人嗎？ Xiaoshi: Mǎkě, nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma? 馬可：我是美國人，你也是美國人嗎？ Make: Wǒ shì Měiguó rén, nǐ yěshì Měiguó rén ma? 小實：不是，我是臺灣人。很高興認識你。 Xiaoshi: Búshì, wǒ shì Táiwān rén. Hěn gāoxìng rènshì nǐ. 馬可：我也很高興認識你。 Make: Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshì nǐ. 翻譯 Translation Mark: Hello! What’s your name? Xiaoshi: My name is Xiaoshi, and you? Mark: My name is Mark. Xiaoshi: Mark, are you American? Mark: Yes, I am. Are you American too? Xiaoshi: No, I’m Taiwanese. Nice to meet you. Mark: Nice to meet you too. 單字片語 Vocabulary 1. 叫(jiào) to be called 2. 什麼 (shénme) what 3. 呢 (ne) a (question)
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