I think that President Obama should use his power of veto to force the issue!?

He could, i.e., veto the farm bill, or others critical to certain hold out politician's prospects, until the senators and congressmen come to heel!?

The crippled President's power of veto is all he now possesses to get his programs ratified; given the sheer lack of solidarity among the, mostly self serving, house divided, me first, second and last, democrats?
Rhrosty.

The author wrote, "Many bills are voted negative or positive by members of both Democrat and Republican parties and the partisan solidarity that we see in Europe does not exist in the United States."

The lack of partisan solidarity is one of the good things about the US Congress. Unlike the Australian and other parliaments where legislators must, except for explicit conscience votes, follow the dictates of the party room, US legislators can choose to actually represent the wishes of their electoral district, follow their consciences or consider the good of the US or the world even if it conflicts with the dictates of the party leadership.

Well it's only good some of the time David f.

Until a clinically crippled and morbidly divided house becomes a rabble that can only ever produce gridlock!?
Rhrosty.

Dear Rhrosty,

Sometimes gridlock prevents government from doing things which shouldn't be done. No system is perfect, but the prevention of government action is not always a bad thing.

Only an idiot would want to see our politicians voting according to their conscience.

The US system is more about pork barrels than any pretend conscience.

Dear Hasbeen,

When the Australian system produces a surplus and even when it doesn't the party in power before an election uses what resources it has to distribute goodies where they think it might be most efficient at getting them re-elected. That is pork barrel - Australian style.