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8 June 2012updated 05 Oct 2023 8:17am

Trolls overwhelm Republican online campaign

"Adolf Hitler", "Miso Horney" and "BonerDude SixtyNine" sign petition.

By Alex Hern

The National Republican Congressional Committee is running a petition campaign against the Affordable Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”). Promoted on twitter with the hashtag #IWantRepeal, the NRCC asked supporters to sign up on their website with their first name, last name, address, email and twitter handle.

As an added incentive, they had a livestream set up, so supporters could see their petition being printed off in real time.

In hindsight, it was perhaps asking for trouble. Because soon enough, the internet found the site.

At times, a hand came into shot, pulling false names out of the pile:

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But eventually, even the faceless trollfighter was overwhelmed. The printer stopped – maybe on purpose, maybe because it had just run out of paper – and one final fake (sounding) name was left:

The Obama campaign’s digital director, Teddy Goff, contributed an epitaph:

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
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