When you dont have one single party or cohalition in these conditios things become more negotiated.
Minority governments tend to be short lived, though, like happened with Barroso, and his successor, Santana Lopes.

It is actually not that different from your situation. Imagine coalition parties as different platforms within the Democratic resp. Republican parties.

On the other hand, it is different, IMO inasmuch that those party platforms in the US are more like power groups, not democratically voted on, and thus the US congress doesn't show the true diversity of opinion in the electorate - which also shows in the low voter turnout.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}