Virginia GOP: 'Internet Prank' Responsible For Porn Linked From Our YouTube Page
Bloggers of the world: It's quite possible that you can blame me for the fact that the Virginia GOP took down that lesbian soft-core pornography that was linked from their YouTube page. (And how exactly did it get there, anyway?)
Earlier today, it was discovered that the Virginia Republican Party's YouTube account had selected as a favorite video to link to a soft-core porno video of what appeared to be two women speaking to each other in Russian, having a conversation over some marital aids and then making out. (Obviously, this is not safe for the workplace.)
After I contacted Virginia GOP chairman Gerry Scimeca and asked him who put this there, he looked into it for a bit and then got back to me a little while later. "The video has been taken down," said Scimeca. "Apparently it was some kind of internet prank. So it's down now."
When I asked him how exactly this happened, or whether he knew who did it, he said that "from what I understand you would need a password. So whoever posted it somehow got ahold of a password."
"This happens on occasions," he added. "You see candidates' Web sites or party Web sites will get pranked. I've seen it before. It's unfortunate but there are enough depraved people out there who will do this."
We've saved a screenshot of the old page.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
"Depraved"? Someone who pulls an Internet prank is "depraved"?
And they wonder why they're losing the youth vote...
April 14, 2009 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, those I-Pranksters!
Wouldn't it be funny to find out that the same people who ran Joe Lieberman's fab website in 2006 are the same ones running the VA GOP site?
April 14, 2009 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, in fairness to Virginia GOP women, I'm sure that they'd be more interested in some lesbian action rather than viewing Virginia GOP men.
April 14, 2009 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is this part of the runup to the "teabagging parties" we've been hearing about?
April 14, 2009 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shorter Gerry Scimeca:
It's OK for us to jam your phone banks, but don't you dare mess with our web site (even if the video is, well, kind of hot).
Quoth Wikipedia:
April 14, 2009 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I remember thinking at the time that there should have been a re-vote. Didn't hear any republicans talking about that when one of their own "won."
April 15, 2009 7:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Based on that screenshot its been up there for some time. The screenshot says "VAGOPT favorited a video (1 month ago)"
I suspect 1 of 2 things happened. 1) They have a disgrunted staffer (or ex party leader) who did this prank. 2) (and far more likely) a staffer watched the video while at work signed in as GOPTV - perhaps after uploading "Delegate Peace Meets with High School Students" also 1 month old, then hit the "favorite button" - either not knowing what it was, or not realizing they were signed into the GOPTV account.
April 14, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
The other considered excuse was he accidentally hit the favorite button while accidentally watching lesbian porn.
April 14, 2009 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
But its so much easier to blame it on "hackers" - right Norm!
April 14, 2009 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is not a "prank" nor a "hacker". This is a GOP staffer goofing off.
I've not heard of any Youtube account breach, have you? Someone should ask them for evidence.
April 14, 2009 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
The tell is that they call it a "prank" and have zero interest in pursuing it. If it had been a real hack (ridiculous as that would have been), they'd be up in arms demanding the full weight of the state investigate and prosecute.
It wasn't someone who "got a hold off" a password. It was someone specifically tasked with maintaining that stupid youtube web page.
April 15, 2009 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's the Hindrocket Postulate again.
April 14, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Come on, it's the Virginia GOP. Average member age 63.
The Password is probably "password" or "12345"
April 14, 2009 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sounds like something an idiot would have on his luggage. :P
April 14, 2009 10:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, they got ahold of the password BECAUSE THEY WERE STAFFERS!!!
April 15, 2009 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Call them back and tell them to prove it by changing the password back to what it was originally and waiting for the pranksters to strike again.
Odd that the prankster involved didn't seem to want to get any publicity for their hacking skills over the last month.
April 14, 2009 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Same old clueless excuse, which hasn't been used by the 'wingers since, well, last month, when Norm Coleman's clueless web staff left his donor's private info available in a public area of his site...and they predictably blamed 'hackers' for their own criminal stupidity.
I guess this isn't suprising, given that the GOP's computer expertise is about as high as the average WalMart greeter's.
April 14, 2009 6:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey! I take exception to that! I'm not a WalMart greeter, but I am probably as lame as the GOP. Maybe I should offer my services?
April 14, 2009 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Notice he downplays it as a "prank" rather than huffing and puffing about hte serious threat to society of hacking, all that typical law and order GOP crap.
That's because they plan to try to skate away from this story as fast as possible and hope that no sort of real investigation ever happens (because that investigation would inevitably point to a soft-core afficianado staffer).
April 14, 2009 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I say give me depraved over the Republican agenda any day of the week.
Though this is an old saying, "Make love not war", I think the truly depraved are those that think war is the only solution to the world's problems.
In my opinion, let there be lust.
April 14, 2009 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't the VA GOP just fire their most recent head? You don't suppose he had any ax to grind, do you? He did have the password, I would think, or could easily get it from one of his loyalists still there. Would someone from the GOP stoop so low? Dirty-trick their own party? In a heartbeat!
April 14, 2009 10:26 PM | Reply | Permalink