Mark Shields: Trump wants the squad to be the running mate of the nominee

[question everything]

Wait, there is a logic there. from PBS NewsHour:

Richard Nixon, who, along with Franklin Roosevelt, only two Americans ever to run five times for national office, and win four times, said of vice presidents, when you pick a vice presidential running mate, it never helps you, it always hurt you, because you're either explaining or defending or apologizing for what that vice presidential nominee said that morning in Portland or Peoria.

Case for the prosecution, Sarah Palin and John McCain. And what Donald Trump is trying to do, in a very cynical and callous fashion — and David's absolutely right about the racist implications of it — is to marry these four freshman members, to make them the running mate, whoever the Democratic nominee is.

And the Democratic nominee then would have to — these — the four of them — let's be very blunt about it — like Donald Trump, are heliotropic plants. Heliotropic plants, sunflowers, seek the sun. They turn to get the sun's rays. These four women have shown a remarkable facility and gift for seeking cameras and seeking microphones, and winning that attention, just as Donald Trump did.

And so that's what he wants to do. They have said — got there by saying terribly controversial things, by criticizing their own party leadership. And that's what Donald Trump wants to do to whoever the Democratic nominee is.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/shields-and-brooks-on-trumps-attacks-biden-vs-sanders-on-health-care

[Blue_true]

1. Shields is right. The Squad is stepping right into Trump's trap.

They should ask Nancy Pelosi for a long private meeting, then shut the fuck up and listen.

They really rile up the hotheads in the Democratic Party, but they create trouble for everyone else and help Trump.

[emmaverybo]

2. I wish they had taken that tack from day 1. They would have learned something and had more to

offer in the end for it.

[Blue_true]

3. I think first year people like the new ones from California, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Kansas,

Illinois, New Mexico, the ones that have put their heads down and are learning how to get things done are making wiser choices.

[question everything]

14. Both Hillary and Franken were well known when they entered the Senate

But both kept a low profile and spent their first year, at least, learning how things were done.

Of course, this was before "Social Media" and twits etc.

[tonedevil]

15. Oh well. /nt

[5starlib]

9. He's making them the face of the Democratic Party

And it's working. If you didn't know any better, you'd think they were the only freshman Dems that won in 2018. I would never tell them to shut up, but I'm cringing at all the media attention now.

[DownriverDem]

12. I wish folks would focus

on who can beat trump? We don't need this crap.

[NNadir]

4. Of course, the other side is that Trump is falling into "the squad's" trap.

I generally respect Mark Shields, but he's an old guy from another time.

He's making a totally ridiculous statement; that Trump has enough of a mind to be calculating.

I am not as far to the left as "the squad." I'm an old fart white guy. But I find "the squad" compelling, articulate, interesting, exciting.

They are stealing the "thunder" manufactured for Trump by Fox News, that "he'd shake things up."

He did "shake things up" but in a way that has gone far to destroy America for Putin's benefit and Xi's benefit.

These young women are not stupid, not ignorant, and not Trumpian in any way.

Nixon? Shields could do better to look elsewhere for a sage. Nixon tumbled because he built his life on lies. Those young exciting women may hold views with which I disagree, but they are not stealing the light to tell lies about themselves. They instead represent an honest voice that needed to be heard.

[Thekaspervote]

5. No they are not dumb or stupid, but they are inexperienced... it shows

[NNadir]

6. Perhaps "experience" is over rated. Who did worse in their recent interaction, Trump or the Squad?

I think they're doing just fine.

We old folks with all of our "experience," have screwed the hell out of the future. I say this because my main political focus as a scientist is what we have done to the environment, and no, it's not just Republicans who did it.

A little anger like theirs is needed. I love the voices of outrage in young people. They don't owe us a damned thing.

[jaysunb]

7. + 1000. Nt

[Hortensis]

10. The media covering our candidates have to somehow keep interest,

to keep people clicking on articles every day. We see that in the ridiculous nothings they inflate and sensationalize about Democrats to try to sell as meaningful happenings. Their need for clicks paints a bizarre picture where a handful of dissident voices is each worth more than those of 50 solid Democratic colleagues apiece, every little thing "threatening" to shatter our party, everything our party does supposedly threatening our chances in 2020.

So of course they're easily manipulated by Trump and RepubCo right now. His party's support of his racist attacks on these congresswomen is extremely significant, and at least they're covering it, even if they're constantly turning the negativism on Democrats.

But the yammering of the MSM, both venal and hostile agents, should not fool anyone that Trump's behaviors are threatening to destroy the Democratic Party (!) instead of him and his own. And certainly not that we share culpability, that we somehow always help by failing to react to them as any sensible 10-year-old would know to (but not us!).

Don't let them get in your head.

[Kind of Blue]

11. +1000!

[Jose Garcia]

13. I'm sure that once the campaign begins the squad will stop saying things which

would offend votes in swing states.

[Blue_true]

16. If they are right, they should speak but use some discretion.

What seems to be lacking is the discretion. I don't disagree with what they are pointing out, but they can't go chasing every red flag Trump throws out.