Chris Matthews's Nazi analogy: "Who made that [Kerry] ad -- Leni Riefensta

[madmax]

Chris Matthews's Nazi analogy: "Who made that ad -- Leni Riefenstahl?"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200408120004

On the August 10 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, after airing a Democratic National Committee (DNC) ad depicting Senator John Kerry (D-MA) speaking about national security and defense at the Democratic National Convention, host Chris Matthews asked, "Who made that ad -- Leni Riefenstahl? You know what I'm talking about, a lot of flags." Leni Riefenstahl was a Nazi-propaganda filmmaker.

As Media Matters for America noted on August 11, MSNBC considers Matthews a "news anchor" (as opposed to an "opinion anchor") -- notwithstanding the frequent instances of distortions, misstatements, and unsourced speculation by Matthews, as documented by MMFA. The New York Times reported Matthews's status as "news anchor" in an August 11 campaign briefing, in which MSNBC president and general manager Rick Kaplan defended an appearance at a political rally for President George W. Bush by Scarborough Country host and former U.S. Representative Joe Scarborough (R-FL), who is, according to Kaplan, an "opinion anchor." As MMFA noted, Kaplan told The New York Times that the network has different rules for "opinion anchors" (e.g., Scarborough) and "news anchors" (e.g., Matthews, Dan Abrams, Deborah Norville, and Keith Olbermann).

While Matthews was only apparently likening the appearance of the campaign ad to the visuals of rallies in Nazi Germany, and not commenting on the content of the ad, more extreme Nazi references have been commonplace in the 2004 election season. As Media Matters for America has noted, FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly compared documentary filmmaker and author Michael Moore to Riefenstahl on June 10; on June 23, the New York Post pointed to two other examples of that same comparison. On June 4, Wall Street Journal editorial page deputy editor Daniel Henninger compared German-born filmmaker Roland Emmerich -- the director/writer/producer of The Day After Tomorrow -- to Riefenstahl.

In order to score conservative political points, pundits have recently mentioned by name, in connection with Democrats or progressives, the following Nazis: Chancellor Adolf Hitler, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, and Gestapo head and SS chief Heinrich Himmler."

How can he say THAT!! Even before 9/11 *bush/cheney et.al have had wall to wall flags as a back drop!!

[UrbScotty]

1. Another thing about Leni Riefenstahl - she's kind of, well, dead

She died last year.

[AmandaRuth]

2. because if they keep spewing this stuff

it will dehumanize the Dems, and make you forget that, while it was not boosh or even pappy, it was the grandfather who got rich off the Nazi's. brilliant plan, eh?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. my email to [e-mail]

Matthews comparing Democratic ad to Nazi propaganda displays blatant bias.

To whom it may concern,

On the August 10 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews implied a Democratic campaign ad was similar to Nazi propaganda because it had a lot of flags in it.

Will MSNBC provide the proper balance and similarly characterize Republican ads using a lot of flags as similar to Nazi propaganda? I doubt it.

Will I continue to pay my satellite provider for the MSNBC channel? Even less likely.

Quixotically,
snip for privacy

[madmax]

5. Thank you

I sent email to Matthews from his website. I'll also send one to viewservices.

[Democat]

4. I'm sure he has said the same thing about the Swift Boat Liars?

Yeah right, he probably loves them and donates to them anonymously.

[dave29]

6. Tell me, Mr. Matthews - which candidate is for unilateralism?

Don't think too hard

[KurtNYC]

7. A twisted compliment?

Since they love Nazis?

[janx]

8. Everyone needs to reply to this!

This is despicable. Talking heads should not be doing this.

[VOX]

14. You got that, janx. E-mails to MSNBC, NOW!!!

:kick:

[janx]

9. kick

[AP]

10. Night is day. Black is white. Jefferson was the antichrist.

Alwasy call the other guy a Nazi first so that when people acurately state that your fascist propaganda is fascist propaganda it sounds more like sour grapes than the truth.

[janx]

11. This thread (and every Media Matters call) should be PINNED

to the top.

That would be one way we could help Dem_Strategist starting immediately.

[madmax]

12. A shameless kick

:kick:

[VOX]

13. WHERE were the Riefenstahl references during *'s fly-in to the carrier????

You know, "Mission Accomplished?"

That whole taxpayer-funded extravaganza was SO Riefenstahl. And I don NOT recall Tweety pulling out the cultural references during that charade.

Assholes.

[Generator]

15. Yesterday on Hardball Chris Matthews Republican lite said:

(YES I know I swear not to watch but I flip just to see how venomous he is proving once again that he doesn't regret his vote for Bush in 2000 and still has a hard-on for Chimpycowboy)

Discussing that Teresa Kerry speaks five languages,and how great that would be in places like Latin America to actually speak to the leaders and the people,

Chris Matthews "I voted for Bush in 2000" and continue to shill for him:

"But do we want a first lady that says shove it in five languages?"

I hope he rots.

[ContinentalOp]

16. Media Matters!!???

Well why dont you just ask FIDEL!

:)

[PROGRESSIVE1]

17. KKKris Matthews is a RACSIST and he prooved it with his....

attack on Sharpton.

[markus]

18. Show and viewer services mailed

Where is the outrage when the left compared Bush (much more aptly in my view) to the early (pre-war) fascist movement in Europe?

Yet you feel free to compare a DNC ad to a Nazi propagada film? Becuase it has (gasp) flags? Have you not seen any television in the last 25 years? Any GOP ads? Reagan-era conventions?

It is clear that you are not the "news" person you would like to style yourself to be. You are no better than Joe Scarborough or Bill O'Rielly, just with a slighlty stronger attachment to reality and less overt ties to the RNC and the Bush White House.