Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee (Mich.) argued Monday on MSNBC that if Democrats want to regain a majority in Congress in the 2018 midterm elections, then they must brand themselves as more than just the party that opposes Republicans and President Donald Trump.
Kildee's comments on "Morning Joe" came after MSNBC commentator Steve Schmidt asked about the Democrats' electoral prospects for 2018.
"Congressman, soon we'll be in an election year. How bullish is the Democratic conference becoming about the chances of taking the majority back?" Schmidt asked Kildee.
"Well, I think there's some optimism," Kildee said. "But I think we have to be careful about this. I don't think it's enough not to be them or not to be him. If 2016 taught us anything, it's not enough just not to be the Republicans or not to be Donald Trump."
Kildee said that any chance of winning a majority rests on Democrats projecting an affirmative message that is "more substantive than any sort of slogan."
"If we do that, if we offer the American people a real alternative and commit that we're actually going to get back to legislating the way that we used to in Washington, then I think we have a chance," Kildee said. "I don't think it's a slam dunk. I think we have to work for this."
"Do you think your leadership is capable of doing that?" Schmidt asked.
"I think so," Kildee responded. He added that discussions about Democratic leadership should be held after the election and that lawmakers who focus on the matter now are trying "to call attention to themselves."
"People who are interested in better leadership should just exercise better leadership themselves. It's up to us as individual members," Kildee said.