Study: Bipartisan coalitions more likely as Congress becomes more polarized

(Dartmouth College) Congress passed a surprising number of bills between 1981 and 2008 with bipartisan majorities large enough to withstand a presidential veto despite growing ideological divisions between Democratic and Republican lawmakers. A new Dartmouth -- Miami University study in 'Political Research Quarterly' demonstrates that legislative leaders used their increased control over procedures, a development that coincided with greater polarization, to create veto-proof bills. Presidents, i