“Reaching across the aisle” refers to politicians compromising with those of different parties to pass legislation. Cooperation is necessary in American politics, where Democrats and Republicans dominate. Many voters prefer a bipartisan approach, but it can be seen as treacherous by some. The phrase can also apply to other contexts, such as church communities.
Reaching “across the aisle” is a much-trumpeted phrase, especially in American politics. The nave in this case represents the ideological divide between politicians of different parties, especially those serving in state legislatures or the federal Senate or House. When a politician comes across the aisle, he is compromising with those on the other side to write legislation or cooperate to pass it.
In US politics, although there are some smaller political parties, the predominant parties are the Democrats and the Republicans. Unless a party has an extreme majority in a legislative body, it can be difficult to achieve much without cooperation between the parties. While cooperation isn’t usually expected in areas where there are huge ideological divides, there are many things Democrats and Republicans can agree on.
Also, a factor in American politics is that many people, while they may belong to a political party, are moderate or centrist in their political views. They can be much more grateful when politicians can reach down the aisle and cooperate to push through legislation that most people support regardless of party. Sometimes in big elections, politicians brag about their ability to be centrist and how many times they’ve done it in the past. Depending on the motivation of the electorate, this can be considered a good or a bad thing, but again many people prefer a bipartisan approach to political issues.
Sometimes a politician’s interest in reaching the aisle can be seen as not cooperative but instead treacherous. It really depends on the issues involved when a politician chooses to act on this matter and the political climate at the time. Other times bipartisanship is viewed more favorably, and an entire party or entire legislature can make a concerted effort to work cooperatively, although there will usually be resistance from far-right and far-left.
There are other ways the phrase “across the corridor” can be applied. It can mean cooperating with those who share different views in a variety of contexts. This doesn’t always work out, since trade-off tends to mean you’ll have to give up something to get something.
Another way the phrase is used is in church communities as many of them literally have aisles. In many church services people shake hands and exchange blessings or peace during the service. This can be seen as a different means of reaching a bridge that helps improve community and good feelings among members of a church.
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