New MSNBC Ad Appropriates Martin Luther King to Push 'Dream' of Liberal Hosts
MSNBC commercials have a long history of explicitly touting the network's liberalism. But a new ad combines that style with the exploitation of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. In the latest promotion, an almost exclusively left-wing group of hosts hold up a whiteboard with messages explaining how they are personally living out King's dream. This came after footage of the civil rights leader.
Instead of any dialogue, the commercial featured peppy, upbeat music. Chris Matthews's sign read, "I am advancing the dream by...fighting for voting rights!" 9/11 Truther and MSNBC host Toure insisted that he's striving for equality by "fighting against the failed war on drugs." MSNBC's Martin Bashir lectured that he's lobbying people to "lov[e] our neighbors as we love ourselves." (Is comparing Rick Santorum to mass murder Joseph Stalin an example of Bashir "loving" his neighbor?)
Liberal MSNBC analyst Ari Melber and his whiteboard insisted that he was fighting for King by "reporting on voter suppression so we can stop it."
Token Republican Joe Scarborough was not featured in the ad. The only plausibly non-liberal voice came from Abby Huntsman, daughter of liberal GOP governor Jon Huntsman. Her message? "Pushing my generation to embrace CHANGE!" (Not exactly an unambiguous embrace of conservatism.)
A transcript of the ad is below:
Onscreen video of Martin Luther King and text: "How are you advancing the dream?"
[Set to upbeat music, commercial then cuts to individual MSNBC hosts holding up a whiteboard with a response written in marker. There is no dialogue in this ad.]
ALEX WAGNER'S WHITEBOARD: Waking people up!
CHRIS HAYES'S WHITEBOARD: By covering our unequal justice system.
ED SCHULTZ'S WHITEBOARD: Focusing on folks.
KAREN FINNEY'S WHITEBOARD: Encouraging people to vote!
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL'S WHITEBOARD: Lastworddesks.MSNBC.com
MARTIN BASHIR'S WHITEBOARD: Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
MELISSA HARRIS PERRY'S WHITEBOARD: Staying optimistic that our country can still do great things together!
CHRIS MATTHEWS'S WHITEBOARD: I am advancing the dream by...fighting for voting rights!
STEVE KORNACKI'S WHITEBOARD: Learning the lessons of the past and applying them to the future.
JOY REID'S WHITEBOARD: Using my voice to help others.
KRYSTAL BALL'S WHITEBOARD: Believing in progress.
TOURE'S WHITEBOARD: Fighting against the failed war on drugs.
ARI MELBER'S WHITEBOARD: Reporting on voter suppression so we can stop it.
ABBY HUNTSMAN'S WHITEBOARD: Pushing my generation to embrace CHANGE!
RACHEL MADDOW'S WHITEBOARD: Trying to increase the amount of useful information in the world! :)
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
