bipartisanship : NPR

What Shut The Back Door To Congressional Compromise

President Kennedy speaks with Senate GOP leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois in March 1961. Dirksen's support was critical to passing civil rights legislation through Congress. Harvey Georges/AP hide caption

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Harvey Georges/AP

It's All Politics

What Shut The Back Door To Congressional Compromise

December 17, 2012 • It used to be commonplace for leaders of the two parties to find common ground. But Democrats and Republicans stopped working together partly as a result of one of their greatest collaborations.

Gridlock: Will The Election Break The 'Lousy Status Quo'?

Until the political parties learn to hold the center, we may wind up with more of this. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

It's All Politics

Gridlock: Will The Election Break The 'Lousy Status Quo'?

November 5, 2012 • Whether it's Obama or Romney, the president will face a party in Congress hostile to his agenda, with no mandate from voters to push things through. With no consensus in the country, power may continue shifting back and forth between the parties.

Flowers bloom at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., though the same can't be said of bipartisanship. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

It's All Politics

Congress May Not Be As Bad As All That

June 3, 2012 • A government scholar says Washington has responded better to the economic downturn — certainly better than its European counterparts — than its reputation might lead people to believe. But not everyone is convinced.

Bipartisanship On The Hill? Living On A Prayer

Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland (left), who will be the House minority whip in the new Congress, and Republican Eric Cantor of Virginia, the incoming majority leader, leave after a prayer service Wednesday at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

It's All Politics

Bipartisanship On The Hill? Living On A Prayer

January 5, 2011 • At Wednesday morning's bipartisan prayer service, Congress members on the left and right set aside their differences to acknowledge that which unites them: love of country, and service. The mood was short-lived.