Three Cheers for Divided Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary

Three Cheers for Divided Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In fact, in the past half century, voters have opted for divided government over 60 percent of the time. We Americans rest easier when the purse and sword are in different hands.

Why shouldn't we, given the horrors of one-party government? Whenever one faction controls both elected branches, checks and balances disappear."

"In 2004, two political scientists crunched the numbers, estimating that more than 20 percent of American voters ... tried to 'divide power and balance policy.'"

"Divided government tends to boost the president's approval rating.

It's no accident that the few modern presidents who left office with high popularity — Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton — had to battle a Congress controlled by the opposition. We tend to like the guy better when he doesn't have a free hand."