It’s rarely possible to pass even mildly controversial legislation at the federal level in the US, since you need 60% of senators to agree, and it’s rare for ei

It’s rarely possible to pass even mildly controversial legislation at the federal level in the US, since you need 60% of senators to agree, and it’s rare for either party to hold that many senate seats. I think this is the most fundamental misunderstanding that Europeans have about the US political system — they think passing laws is simple and easy (since in most European countries, it is in fact easy for the majority party or coalition to do so), so they wonder why the US doesn’t have various types of common-sense legislation.