John Kasich’s New Ad Kind of Calls Donald Trump a Nazi

Governor John Kasich appears to be officially going after Trump, and going after him with a vengeance. He just released a new ad, “Trump’s Dangerous Rhetoric,” that slams Trump for his views on Muslims, Black protestors, Hispanic immigrants, and journalists.

The language in the ad, narrated by Air Force Colonel Tom Moe, is directly reminiscent of a quote by Martin Niemöller, a Protestant pastor who spoke out strongly against Hitler before being put in a concentration camp. During a few different lectures and speeches he gave a variation of this quote:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

During other speeches, Niemöller occasionally invoked other groups, including Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Communists. But regardless of which group was included, the message remained the same–if you stand by and watch as others are progressively subjected to human rights abuses, you are complicit.

It’s not a huge surprise that one of the toughest ads against Trump so far in the campaign season came from Kasich–those two have been spatting back and forth for a while. While I’m not sure anyone expected him to compare Trump to a Nazi, it’s also not entirely inconsistent with concerns posited by the more establishment side of the Republican Party. In fact, some have started to refer to Trump as “fascist.” Jeb Bush’s national security advisor John Noonan recently tweeted: “Forced federal registration of US citizens, based on religious identity, is fascism. Period. Nothing else to call it.” Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, whose own presidential campaign has been pretty dismal, said that Trump’s proposal to remove undocumented immigrants from from the U.S. amounted to “fascist talk.” Other advisors and political commenters have used the term “fascist” as well–Kasich’s ad just appears to be playing on those comments.

But it will be interesting to see if such a hard-hitting ad makes any dent in Trump’s poll numbers. Trump is currently at about 27.5 percent in the polls, while Kasich is hovering a little under 3 percent. So far, Trump’s lies, awfully offensive statements, and other seemingly major issues haven’t made a dent in his commanding lead–will Kasich’s ad finally do the trick?

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.