Having the "opposite" part in the House certainly provides them an opportunity to appear to stand for something different; but again its just another good cop / bad cop routine. No matter what the party the outcome remains the same; a good example is George W Bush, he was the biggest Democrat since Johnson and the "Republican" House back him all the way.
The fact is that even with the Repubicrats in the House and the Demopublicans in the White house, they pass more and more laws every day that people don't pay attention too, the only things they supposedly "disagree" on are for the Public's Dog and Pony show.
In the end, the country makes leaps and pauses towards totalitarianism. We have experienced a leap since 2001 and in a few years it will reach a pause stage that is long enough to help people forget what liberty and freedom taste like.