There are only 2 reasons to do all this: (1) they think they will lose the election, or (2) they are worried about RBG's premature (before Trump leaves office) demise.
But, your point remains: they are doing it poorly, whatever their motivation.
The fact that that Stanford professor said what she said indicates that she lives in a bubble. She has probably said things like that for years, and gotten laughs and pats on the back for saying it. She's smart, and yet she probably does not understand why anyone would criticize her for using a kid to make her political point. After all, everyone she knows is good with doing that...Barron is not a normal kid, he is a Trump kid, in her eyes, so he is a legitimate target.
Can you imagine her in front of a jury? "Now, I know you are all stupid, and probably racists, so I will try to make this simple for you..." She's smart, but not smart enough to know you shouldn't do things like that. Just wow.