Partisanship, divided government, and the presidency

Before the 1970s, divided government did not present serious obstacles to relations between the Congress and the President. Weak congressional parties allowed the president to reach out across party lines and build bipartisan coalitions. Since the 1970s, divided government has become a more serious problem. Strong and polarized congressional parties have undermined the ability of the president to build cross-party coalitions, thus weakening the president\u27s hand in the legislative arena. In the absence of cooperation from Congress, the president will be tempted to resort to institutional powers and govern without Congress. Such a trend is not consistent with American constitutional principles