A media training session at the organization's annual conference provided a rare look inside the effort to control the narrative.

PHILADELPHIA — Last week, a local Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty attracted attention for quoting Adolf Hitler in its newsletter. After the local paper reported the story, the group added additional “context” but kept the quote. Eventually, after it faced even more scrutiny, the organization removed the quote and apologized in a statement posted to its Facebook group.

That, however, was a big mistake, according to advice at the Moms for Liberty national conference’s media training session Friday.

“Never apologize. Ever,” said Christian Ziegler, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. “This is my view. Other people have different views on this. I think apologizing makes you weak.”

He advised the attendees to instead make it clear that the Hitler comment was “vile” but to immediately pivot to make the point that Hitler indoctrinated children in schools and that that’s what Moms for Liberty was fighting against. Ziegler warned that any apology would become the headline, so that should be avoided.

You read that right. He said to not apologize for quoting Hitler. That’s what we’re dealing with now.

  • Dienervent
    -14•1 year ago

    I can barely tolerate the unhinged comments I find here. I don’t think I would survive over there.

    Is it too much to ask to have people try and be sensible. Show some kind of respect for the truth. And not try to set the whole world on fire?

    • @Captain_Patchy
      17•1 year ago

      undefined> Show some kind of respect for the truth.

      The truth is that moms for liberty is a right wing group that is totally for grooming their children to only believe the right wing viewpoint, hates all of the lgbt+ and is also racist as all fuck.

      It’s easy to pretend to be even handed but reality says…

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moms_for_Liberty

      https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/moms-liberty

      You don’t make the SPLC list unless you are a hate group.

      So how about you have some respect for the truth?

      • Dienervent
        -7•1 year ago

        I’m not disputing any of that. I haven’t looked into it, but it seems very believable that an extreme right wing group hates lgbt+ and is at least low-key racist.

        What I’m disputing is the characterization of their use of a Hitler quote as being clearly in support of Nazism. When the context clearly indicates that they were comparing their political opponents to nazis, aka they condemning the quote.

        But that’s not my main point of contention with the community here. My main point of contention with the community here is that in this thread there is currently a comment jokingly calling for genocide with 27 upvotes and no condemnations.

        At the very least Moms for Liberty had the goods sense to publish a correction to make the intent behind their Hitler was that they were condemning. Meanwhile, you guys seem to be doubling down on promoting genocide.

        • ThrowawayOnLemmy
          5•1 year ago

          I’m not worried about some post made on a random message board that 27 people agreed with. I’m more concerned with the well funded hate group attacking schools at all levels of government. You can get buthurt about a comment, I’m gonna go focus on the real issue.

          • Dienervent
            -3•1 year ago

            It’s not a random message board. It’s THIS message board, THIS thread. The one that you’re contributing to right now. The one where you’ve decided to argue against the person condemning genocide instead of arguing against the person calling for genocide.

    • @Ensign_Crab
      9•1 year ago

      Show some kind of respect for the truth

      Respect for the truth does not involve giving endless benefit of the doubt to obvious astroturf groups that spread lies and try to ban books.

      • Dienervent
        -9•1 year ago

        But a group is composed of individuals. If you treat the misguided members of that group the same as their disingenuous leaders, especially if you’re playing fast and loose with the facts, then you’ll be pushing them towards their leaders and towards extremism.

        That said, I also understand the value of discrediting an entire group as a whole. From a strategic and deterrence perspective where you’re trying to reduce the effectiveness and power of the group and you’re trying to cause people to second guess lending their support to that group by attacking their reputation. But also from a moral perspective if you’re going to lend support to a group that has nefarious objectives and produces harmful results, you have some responsibility for that regardless of your intentions.

        But again, I’m most upset about seeing so much support and no pushback to someone sorta kinda jokingly advocating for genocide.

        But also the irony of a person B grandstanding about how it’s not ok to derail a conversation. When really they’re trying to keep it on the derailed topic of the group’s original topic.

        It’s like “oh nos what bad faiths piece of shits these Moms for Liberty are! We derailed the conversation fair and square to this Hitler quote that we may or may not have intentionally misinterpreted and now they want to derail it back to talking about your original grievance, we can’t let them get away with this kind of sneaky debate tactics”

        I’m obviously exaggerating and paraphrasing here.

        • @Ensign_Crab
          8•1 year ago

          But also from a moral perspective if you’re going to lend support to a group that has nefarious objectives and produces harmful results, you have some responsibility for that regardless of your intentions.

          Yes. Perhaps you should withdraw your support.

          But again, I’m most upset about seeing so much support and no pushback to someone sorta kinda jokingly advocating for genocide.

          That comment is gone. I haven’t defended it. You keep defending the Hitler quote.