经济学人下载:违约杯具已避,跛脚政治风险犹存

The outlook, then, is that America’s political dysfunction will only get worse, and with it the burden on economic growth. Some may think that too gloomy a view. The debt-ceiling farrago showed that old-fashioned bargaining could still work, and both Mr Obama and Mr Boehner showed themselves open to a grand bargain, if only for a time. A day after the debt deal, Senate leaders reached a sort of pact on moving the free-trade agreements forward.

展望未来，我们能看到的可能只是越来越“坡脚”的美国政治，而且这将成为经济增长的一个负担。有些人可能认为这种观点太悲观了。他们认为债务上限问题上各方的表现证明了老式的讨价还价还是能够奏效的。奥巴马和博纳也都显示了他们对一个大协议的开明态度，但愿不止一次。债务上限协议达成一天后，参议院领导人就达成了一系列协议，以推动自由贸易协定。

Round the country, too, there are gleams of useful reform. Both Florida and California are experimenting with less partisan forms of redistricting, which should lead to more competitive elections in which congressmen have to cater to the average voter rather than the extreme wings of their parties. If other states follow suit, it could slowly reverse the ideological duopoly that has taken over the House. Even without that, many tea-party Republicans, who won their seats in districts that were recently Democratic, have a high risk of being turfed out next year if they fail to learn the fine art of compromise.

放眼全国，我们还是能够看到不少有益的改革的曙光。佛罗里达和加州就在进行根据少数党派的形式来划分选区的试验，而这将使选举竞争更加激烈。众议员们不得不去迎合一般选民而不是他们党内的极端分子。如果其他州也能效法，这就会慢慢改变目前两党控制国会的双寡头制。即使不能改变这个现状，之前在民主党选区获得议席的保守共和党人，如果不能领悟妥协的艺术，那么很可能在明年选举中被踢出局。

But all that is 15 months in the future. And congressmen who have left Washington in a glow of relief and self-congratulation should have no illusions. The political dysfunctionality of America has been on display as never before, to the nation’s shame. And it can still do plenty of harm to a very sick economy.

但这一切都是未来15个月的事。那些离开华盛顿国会山并自感解脱和庆幸的众议员应当抛却任何幻想。目前美国政治的功能失调已经到了前所未有的地步，这对这个国家来说是种耻辱。而且这将给原本已经非常脆弱的经济带来诸多伤害。