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Historical Lessons for a President Forced to Deal With a Hostile Congress

So what does President Obama do now? Modern presidential history suggests at least three plans of action for a president faced with an opposition House and Senate.

1. When the Republicans took Congress in 1994, for the first time in almost a half century, Bill Clinton, facing re-election, searched for ways to cooperate with Republicans on domestic policy, such as an overhaul of welfare and the quest for a balanced budget. Such a strategy may be harder for President Obama, because the next Congress will feature more conservative firebrands than did Bob Dole’s Senate and Newt Gingrich’s House of Representatives...

Read entire article at NYT