He’s Doing It Again: The Danger of Distraction for Democrats

There are Democratic strategists and supporters who wish the controversy surrounding President Trump’s racist tweets directing Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar to “go back where you came from” had reached its end, but the story gained new energy last night when the crowd at Trump’s North Carolina rally converted the tweet into a chant, “Send her back!” targeting Omar.

Earlier in the day Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley introduced legislation to provide support for private student loan borrowers even as the controversy raged on. Democratic presidential candidates continued to fundraise and prepare for the upcoming debate in Detroit. In homes, on vacations, and during talk radio, some voters decried the distraction.

Dr. Wilmer Leon hosts a talk radio show in Washington, D.C. where he is also a professor at Howard University.

“First of all, Donald Trump is reverting to the same tactics and same tropes that have touched a chord and that have resonated in America since America was America,” Leon said. “This is nothing new. But, at the same time, I think it’s important for people to understand that Donald Trump is an incredibly ignorant man, but he’s not a stupid man.”

The Congressional Black Caucus issued a statement today denouncing the President’s rhetoric and criticizing him for endangering the safety of Omar, a mother of three small children.

Congressmember Karen Bass, who chairs the CBC, wrote, “The President could’ve disavowed those hateful chants in the moment when it mattered most, but instead, he was silent and almost gleeful about the reaction he received.”

A House Divided

According to Leon, Trump is mining division in the Democratic Party for his own reelection advantage.

“He is taking advantage of the rift in the Democratic Party between the Establishment that is represented by Nancy Pelosi and the Progressives represented by the other four women,” he stated.

Leon pointed to internal Democratic polling shows that Democrats are losing favor with poor, undereducated white males, and the White House tweet storm “is not an accident” but rather a play for those voters by portraying the four Congresswomen as “other.”

“This is one of the reasons why Hillary Clinton lost because she spent an inordinate amount of time telling us he [Donald Trump] was not capable,” Leon explained. “She should have spent more time telling us what she could do.”

The political studies professor with an expertise in Black politics, American Government, and public advised the Democrats to “develop a message and stay on message.”

“Donald Trump has handed them the keys to the White House,” Leon remarks. “They just can’t figure out which key opens the door. The answer is not continuing to remind us the man is a fool…that’s not a mystery.”