Aisle (political term)

In the United States, the two major political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, are often referred to as "the two sides of the aisle."

The U.S. House of Representatives is divided by several aisles

Origin of the usage

Usage of the term "aisle" comes from the United States Congress. In the Senate, desks are arranged in the chamber in a semicircular pattern and the desks are divided by a wide central aisle. By tradition, Democrats sit on the right of the center aisle (as viewed from the presiding officer's chair) while Republicans sit on the left. Unlike in the Senate, there are no assigned desks in the House of Representatives chamber, but as in the Senate, Democrats sit on the right of the center aisle (as viewed from the presiding officer's chair) while Republicans sit on the left.[1]

A member of one party who votes for legislation supported by the other party and generally opposed by his own party is described as "crossing the aisle" (a similar phrase used in countries operating under the Westminster system, is "crossing the floor").

"Both sides of the aisle"

A proposed law that has bipartisan support is said to be supported by both sides of the aisle.

gollark: LB?
gollark: I had a Wileyfox Swift with that (dead because of the USB port thing), but they're no longer sold and I don't think replacement parts exist either.
gollark: Hmm, I think I actually know someone with one of those still.
gollark: Does anyone know of phones with removable batteries (and good availability of said batteries), no notch, an LCD (not OLED) screen, a μSD card slot, decent battery life, and some custom ROM support, which is still produced or fairly available used? Do any even exist now?!
gollark: Since my current device doesn't have a replaceable battery, and is becoming increasingly less usable, I don't know *what* I'll replace it with which won't break in the same ways.

See also

References

  1. Ritchie, Donald A. (2006). "Seating in the Chambers". The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion (Third ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0195309249. LCCN 2006008472.
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