Tim Ryan Finally Sounded How We Want Democrats To Sound
“Stop talking about Dr. Seuss and start working with us on behalf of the American workers.”
These were the words that Rep. Tim Ryan said to finish off a tirade on the House floor, one that has gone viral. Representing Ohio’s 13 District, Ryan lambasted Republican members of the House who have come out in opposition of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The PRO Act is designed to strengthen the rights of labor unions in various forms in response to the growing power of large corporations.
What made the outburst all the more powerful was the manner in which Ryan delivered his message. While Democrats have been the party that goes high when they go low, they have been derided for the perception that they are elitists. Speaking in relatively mundane tones and sticking to policy points, Dems have struggled in the past to connect with many voters who are looking for a fighting spirit.
Ryan displayed that spirit as he castigated GOP members, bellowing criticisms loud enough they would have been heard without a microphone.
“We talk about pensions, you complain. We talk about the minimum wage increase, you complain. We talk about giving them the right to organize, you complain. But if we were passing a tax cut here, you’d be getting in line to vote yes for it.”
Full of frenetic arm waving and spittle-ejecting contempt, Ryan finally showed the passion that progressive voters have hungered for for years. The only thing that seemed to hold back the unfettered disgust emanating from the congressman was a mask that hopelessly tried to cover the mouth and nose of Ryan.
Many will point to the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples of outspoken Democrats in Congress and try to downplay Ryan’s remarks as liberal grandstanding. The difference is that Ryan is not anywhere near as progressive as the other two.
While AOC is the seventh most politically left House member and Sanders the most left Senator according to GovTrack, Ryan is almost entirely on the other end of the spectrum. The Ohioan ranks 61st most right-leaning out of 237 Democrats in the House, solidly in moderate territory.
His scathing rebuke of Republicans is a small glimpse into how many on the left feel about their conservative counterparts after four years of Republican tax cuts for the grotesquely rich and indifference towards middle class workers. Even the American Rescue Plan, which helps an overwhelming number of Republican voters and constituents who were hit hard by the Trump administration’s lack of Covid response, did not receive any support from GOP members of Congress.
Ryan’s display has been dismissed by some as a political show to boost his profile now that Republican Senator Rob Portman has announced he will not run for reelection. With Democrats looking to gain Senate seats in the upcoming midterms, having a strong public presence fighting for the interests of working class people would push a candidate towards the front of the pack.
Regardless of whatever the motivations might be, it’s refreshing to see a Democrat come out swinging and take conservatives to task for once.
Republican House members like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert found themselves in the halls of Congress running on platforms that were almost entirely about making bombastic comments about liberals, without real policies. Having more than the occasional cutting remarks from AOC to back up Democrat’s policy agenda will go a long way towards garnering support from voters, even some on the right.
And that’s really what it comes down to when some people vote, isn’t it? Perception.
Democrats have always lagged when it’s come to their messaging and tone, effectively sabotaging even the most popular policies.
While Dems make the rounds trying to whip up support for their policies, they are perceived as effete, Ivy League snobs who talk down to the Average Joe. Republicans run around shouting about out-of-touch liberal elites wanting to force socialism on working class citizens, using scare tactics to obstruct just about everything they can. They tend to forget that the last three Republican presidents went to Ivy League schools themselves; Trump went to Penn and both Bushes went to Yale.
One can only hope that Rep. Ryan’s viral moment kindles a fire in more members of the Democratic Party. While the GOP has devolved into a party of grievance and obstruction that is warring with itself at any given moment, now is the time when strong, outspoken Democrats can set the tone for their party going forward. They just have to get out of their own way and stop being so damn worried about being seen as too forceful.
It certainly didn’t stop Republicans and now we’re stuck having to undo the damage from the last four years.
