从“参议院综合症”透视美国政党极化的成因

Exploring the Causes of Party Polarization in the United States from the Perspective of the “Senate Syndrome”

政党极化作为现代美国政治的特征之一,因其频繁引发议事僵局而吸引了学界的讨论和大众的担忧,有学者称其为"参议院综合症"。"参议院综合症"表现为多数派和少数派之间的阻挠与限制模式,其产生原因在于美国宪法赋予了参议院极大的规则选择自由,而参议员在政治实践过程中追求自身和党派利益,导致日益严重的政党极化。参议院的政党极化有两种表现形式,即意识形态极化和政党竞争加剧。将政党极化放置于美国的历史中考察,政党极化的根源是宪法,其实质是围绕如何解读社会契约的阶级斗争。在政治实践过程中,精英驱动-民众回应模式是政党极化"自上而下"的强化过程。当今美国政党极化引人侧目的原因是,政党对政治"游戏规则"的认知有了差异,即对何为民主的认知差异。

Party polarization,as one of the characteristics of modern American politics,has attracted discussions in academic circles and public opinion because of the frequent deadlocks.Some scholars call it the“Senate Syndrome.”The Senate Syndrome is defined as a pattern of obstruction and restriction between the majority and the minority party.Observing the phenomenon of party polarization in the history of the United States,the authors find that the root of party polarization is the Constitution,and its essence is about the class struggle of how to interpret the social contract.In the process of political practice,the elite-driven-popular response model is the process of strengthening the party polarization from top to bottom.The reason for party polarization in American politics today is that political parties have different cognitions about the political“rules of the game,”which represent cognitive differences between parties about democracy.