No matter which party comes out on top in next week's midterm elections, getting legislation through the next Congress will be an uphill battle at best and virtually impossible at worst....

"Both parties don't like to work with each other. We keep seeing that over and over," said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor of history and congressional
expert. "It's like Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football."...

Zelizer said he envisions the next two years as a setup for the presidential election rather than two years of buckling down on legislative programs.

"At best, what you'll see is progress on smaller issues, under-the-radar issues -- not the big priorities," he said....