MSNBC went full Nazi in a new ad, bizarrely linking conservatives Oliver North and G. Gordon Liddy to the Third Reich. The spot promoting host Lawrence O’Donnell began with text reading, “Straight to the heart of moral corruption.”
Then, the liberal host lectured, “’We were just following orders’ is a statement that is indelibly etched in our consciences as what we should never become. We are following orders is now and always has been the last line of defense for the indefensible here and around the world.” During his commentary, pictures of Iran-Contra figure North, as well as Watergate’s Liddy appeared on-screen. That shifted to images of actual Nazis during the Nuremberg trials.
Just imagine if Fox News ran a spot comparing Stalin-era communists to Democratic operatives or politicians. What, exactly, to Liddy and North have to do with the actual Nazis? That these two were following orders connected to their respective scandals makes them like… Nuremberg trial Nazis? And what does any of this have to do with 2021 Republicans?
The original context from O’Donnell’s November 20, 2020 show (the footage in the ad is taken from this) is about Trump’s false election claims and what would eventually end up with the riot on January 6, 2021. But what that has to do with Liddy, North and other conservatives is unclear.
A transcript of the ad is below:
MSNBC Ad
1/25/2021Text on-screen: “Straight to the heart of moral corruption.”
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: ‘We were just following orders’ is a statement that is indelibly etched in our consciences as what we should never become. [Pictures of Oliver North and G. Gordon Liddy appear on-screen.] ‘We are following orders’ is now and always has been the last line of defense for the indefensible here and around the world. [Picture of the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials.]
Text: “Straight from the heart.”