Special Needs Kids As Props

A reader writes:

Um:

When she got off the bus, wearing her familiar uniform of black skirt, high heels and red blazer, she waved with one hand and held her son Trig, dressed in a striped green sweater, in the other. The group erupted in applause. She walked to a small platform in the middle of the crowd, said "Thank you so much for showing up," and handed Trig to an aide.

What is the point of carrying the baby to the platform and then handing him to an aide? Why not leave him on the bus with an aide? Is he just a prop?

Of course he's a prop. Treating a child this way is a political decision. Just as publicly calling the father of her grandson a porn star is a political decision. And that tells you a lot about this person's character and what really motivates her.