The consequences of the separated system are significant. For example, it is not uncommon for members of Congress from solidly Democratic congressional districts to oppose Republican presidents at every turn or vice versa. The resulting lack of cooperation between members of Congress and the president can make it difficult for presidents to accomplish their goals. Even more profoundly, conducting congressional elections on a state-by-state and district-by-district basis raises the possibility that the Congress and the president will be of opposite parties. In fact, since World War II, divided-party control of the legislative and executive branches has become the norm, not the exception. When a Republican president faces a Democratic Congress or a Democratic president faces a Republican Congress, the prospects for cooperation and consensus building between the two are diminished.

Divided Party Government

Seven of the eleven presidents who have served since World War II have had to work with a Congress that that was at least partially controlled by the opposing party for at least two years of their presidency. The table below (Table 3–2) indicates the political parties of these seven presidents and the party controlling the House and the Senate during their presidency.