Traugott said a major problem is going to be the inability to get any legislation passed. Congress will approve bills aimed at dismantling Democratic initiatives. Those bills will be vetoed by the White House, and the Republicans won't have a sufficient majority to override those vetoes.

"It won't be a very pleasant two years for legislation," Traugott predicted. "It will be problematic for the Republicans, who gained their majority in the House through very sophisticated redistricting. Through the luck of the draw, they took advantage of vulnerable Democrats. But the style and tone of the campaigning is not going to help them in the 2016 Presidential campaign."

Traugott said the Republican approach runs counter to the changing demographics of the U.S. population. The nation is becoming less Caucasian, and Republican opposition to immigration is going to hurt them with the minority vote, as will their resistance to health care reform.

With economic concerns traditionally a top priority to American voters, come the Presidential election, they'll be looking not at future prospects but at the recent past, according to some political pundits. If the recovery continues, that should benefit Democrats.

"But of course, we'll have an open contest in 2016. We'll see if that is going to favor the Republication or Democratic candidate," Traugott said. "My guess is it will favor the Democratic candidate."

He added, "I'm afraid we're in for an extended period of polarized politics. It starts with the leadership of both parties and voting patterns in the Congress. Even in the public opinion data, it shows people are becoming more divided, especially on social issues."

Christopher Wlezien, Hogg Professor of Government at the University of Texas in Austin, said mid-term elections are often a referendum on the president. The party of the president tends to take a hit, with very few exceptions. The question is how much of a hit.

"In order not to have any punishment you need to have approval ratings in the high 60s," Wlezien said.

In 2013, Obama's approval rating dropped from 50% or 51% down to 40% or 41%.

Wlezien agreed with Traugott that there will likely be more Republican-generated legislation. The question is whether those bills will be sustained. With a Democrat still in the White House, Wlezien said he doesn't anticipate any real change in the number of bills actually becoming law.

"It will be interesting to see what the debates are like with a Democratic president and a Republican Congress," he said.

In the 2016 election, with the presidency an open seat, Wlezien sees a divided Congress as a benefit for the Republicans and a unified Congress is more likely to produce extremes.

"If [Mitt] Romney reemerges, or [New Jersey Gov. Chris] Christie, they're not going to be basing their appeal primarily on the Tea Party. They'll be after the more average electorate," Wlezien predicted.

He said he strongly supports the idea that economic issues will be a key factor in 2016.

"The economy is a really, really big deal," Wlezien emphasized. "If we see positive, healthy growth in the national economy, that's going to be good for the Democratic candidate, no matter [whom] it is."

Wlezien said there are very few people who are pure independents. Increasingly, they lean one way or the other. People are voting more straight tickets.

"Presumably, it can't continue forever. There's an end point," Wlezien said. "What can make it change? One possibility is a crisis – a political crisis, a change in the party system. These are not [a] high likelihood."