Democrats need to defend their values and focus on what needs to be done, Rep. Tim Ryan said Wednesday, agreeing with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel that the time has come to quit whining and start fighting.
"We need to defend our values, focus on what we need to focus on," the Ohio Democrat told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "Obviously, President [Donald] Trump has done some things that we find repugnant. We think he has damaged our national security. We think he has made us less safe, and we're worried he's not talking about jobs like he said he was during the campaign."
However, Ryan said, Democrats also need an "affirmative message that says how we're going to rebuild the country, how we're going to put people back to work and drive up wages."
Fox's Steve Doocy pointed out that Democrats are standing against all of Trump's nominees, but Ryan reminded him that the debates are "part of the process."
"You can't whine about that either," Ryan said. "I mean, this is the process. The Senate has its say."
Democrats are vetting the people who will hold the most powerful positions in the nation, said Ryan, and it's appropriate to be thorough.
"We saw history made," said Ryan. "Never before has a vice president have to come down to Capitol Hill to help confirm somebody for a cabinet position.
"So that shows that there are some people here that just aren't qualified for these positions and for Democrats to raise the positions is appropriate. These are the highest jobs in the land."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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