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A '''Divided government''' is one in which the [[President|presidency]] and the [[Congress]] are controlled by different [[parties]]. For example, in the last six years of the [[Clinton administration]], 1995-2001, the presidency was controlled by the [[Democrat]]s, while the Congress was [[Republican]] controlled.
Many commentators suggest that a divided government may be the best state for the United States, since each party then serves as a watchdog on the other.
Statistics show that the economy grows at a higher rate during divided government than with either party in control of both branches of government. This is sometimes attributed to the [[gridlock]] effect, in which each party blocks the other party's spending. For example, undivided Republican control (2002-2006) under the leadership of [[George W. Bush]] resulted in budget deficits.
Also, in the Clinton administration the years of undivided Democratic control resulted in [[budget deficit]]s, while the years of divided government resulted in a budget surplus, the first significant surplus in the post-[[World War II]] era.
[[Category:United States Political Terms]]