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mbperrin

(7,672 posts) Mon Jul 23, 2012, 11:15 PM Jul 2012

Mitt Romney Accused of Buying Twitter Followers

Source: Yahoo

Mitt Romney's Twitter account is creating controversy not because of any actual tweets, but because of a sudden and dramatic spike in followers. The presidential hopeful gained more than 135,000 new followers over the weekend; prior to that, he'd been racking them up at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 per day. The Twitter tracking site 140elect.com noticed the extraordinary growth, and folks in the Twitterverse immediately began tweeting their own theories. Here's one: "That awkward moment when people notice Mitt Romney has been buying followers."

Others suggest the followers aren't even human. Certain signs point to the possibility that some new arrivals could be "Twitter bots," as they have trouble spelling certain words and have no followers of their own. The Romney campaign's digital director, Zac Moffatt, rejects that theory, saying, "We have reached out to Twitter to find out additional information regarding the rapid growth. "

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/mitt-romney-accused-buying-twitter-followers-183024486.html

That's the whole article. I hadn't really heard of TwitterTurf before now, but I can see it happening.

21 replies

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Mitt Romney Accused of Buying Twitter Followers (Original Post) mbperrin Jul 2012 OP

Since it happened over a weekend, I wonder if church goers were told to support Mitt on the Net siligut Jul 2012 #1

Romney: I have money - I can buy stuff. Marie Marie Jul 2012 #2

Now that is just pathetic. Therefore classic Romney. Chemisse Jul 2012 #3

Somebody from Yahoo is losing his job.... Grassy Knoll Jul 2012 #4

I think it's probably all legit. Why? This: harmonicon Jul 2012 #5

lol, sure, they could be both, bots and reTHUGs, just like Mitt siligut Jul 2012 #6

hahahaha cosmicone Jul 2012 #7

All your Mittens are belong to us. Jackpine Radical Jul 2012 #8

Maybe one day he will meet the blue fairy, and she will make him a real . . . tclambert Jul 2012 #11

Legitimate payola? Berlum Jul 2012 #9

He can buy votes with his rich friend's money... davidpdx Jul 2012 #10

Mitt is really pathetic. Alduin Jul 2012 #12

Well, we know members of the GOP often have to pay for "love." Vinca Jul 2012 #13

More context on this from Crooks & Liars radhika Jul 2012 #14

"trouble spelling certain words and have no followers of their own"? NYC_SKP Jul 2012 #15

This man can buy Twitter followers, Jamaal510 Jul 2012 #16

Is there a chart of Romney's followers over time? Canuckistanian Jul 2012 #17

Buying twitter followers is sad :( EarthCitizen Jul 2012 #18

you will know its padded when AsahinaKimi Jul 2012 #19

Huh. So he didn't get here on his own after all. (n/t) klook Jul 2012 #20

Why not? He wants to buy the White House LosMortales Jul 2012 #21

siligut

(12,272 posts)

1. Since it happened over a weekend, I wonder if church goers were told to support Mitt on the Net

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Mon Jul 23, 2012, 11:26 PM

Jul 2012

I hope Twitter can figure it out and then tell us.

Marie Marie

(9,999 posts)

2. Romney: I have money - I can buy stuff.

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Mon Jul 23, 2012, 11:43 PM

Jul 2012

Got a problem with that? Then you are just jealous of my success.

Chemisse

(30,813 posts)

3. Now that is just pathetic. Therefore classic Romney.

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Mon Jul 23, 2012, 11:44 PM

Jul 2012

Grassy Knoll

(10,118 posts)

4. Somebody from Yahoo is losing his job....

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 12:25 AM

Jul 2012

Yahoo hates Obama, look at all the children in the comments after
what ever Obama news is.

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)

5. I think it's probably all legit. Why? This:

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 02:52 AM

Jul 2012

"Others suggest the followers aren't even human ... as they have trouble spelling certain words and have no followers of their own."

If we haven't learned that that describes the average Republican voter, what have we learned?

siligut

(12,272 posts)

6. lol, sure, they could be both, bots and reTHUGs, just like Mitt

Reply to harmonicon (Reply #5)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 06:43 AM

Jul 2012

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

cosmicone

(11,014 posts)

7. hahahaha

Reply to harmonicon (Reply #5)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 07:24 AM

Jul 2012

"Get a brane morans, we is no bots, we is real."

Jackpine Radical

(45,274 posts)

8. All your Mittens are belong to us.

Reply to cosmicone (Reply #7)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 07:30 AM

Jul 2012

tclambert

(11,087 posts)

11. Maybe one day he will meet the blue fairy, and she will make him a real . . .

Reply to Jackpine Radical (Reply #8)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 11:20 AM

Jul 2012

(fill in the blank yourself).

Berlum

(7,044 posts)

9. Legitimate payola?

Reply to harmonicon (Reply #5)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 07:31 AM

Jul 2012

Only in the Republican Homeland of Deceptive Propaganda...

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)

10. He can buy votes with his rich friend's money...

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 08:05 AM

Jul 2012

Buying Twitter followers then would be pretty easy in comparison.

Alduin

(501 posts)

12. Mitt is really pathetic.

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 12:34 PM

Jul 2012

Buying Twitter followers? That's the most pathetic thing anyone can do online.

Vinca

(50,279 posts)

13. Well, we know members of the GOP often have to pay for "love."

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 01:05 PM

Jul 2012

radhika

(1,008 posts)

14. More context on this from Crooks & Liars

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 01:08 PM

Jul 2012

This whole Twit padding thing is news to me, fascinating.

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/where-do-mitts-new-twitter-followers-

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)

15. "trouble spelling certain words and have no followers of their own"?

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 05:16 PM

Jul 2012

Classic Freeper!

Jamaal510

(10,893 posts)

16. This man can buy Twitter followers,

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 05:53 PM

Jul 2012

yet he won't pay extra taxes? What a country!

Canuckistanian

(42,290 posts)

17. Is there a chart of Romney's followers over time?

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 07:10 PM

Jul 2012

That would be interesting to see.

on edit: found it!

EarthCitizen

(5 posts)

18. Buying twitter followers is sad :(

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 07:40 PM

Jul 2012

He's so "successful" he has to pay people to follow him.
It's kind of sad, actually

AsahinaKimi

(20,776 posts)

19. you will know its padded when

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 09:23 PM

Jul 2012

he gets more buddies than the entire population of the United States.

klook

(12,157 posts)

20. Huh. So he didn't get here on his own after all. (n/t)

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 10:39 PM

Jul 2012

LosMortales

(8 posts)

21. Why not? He wants to buy the White House

Reply to mbperrin (Original post)

Tue Jul 24, 2012, 10:54 PM

Jul 2012

Why not buy twitter bots? He wants to buy the White House. Mitt "Cyborg" Romney is a self-righteous liar, a predator, a self-righteous crook. To gain an appreciation of the depth and robotic sincerity of his self-righteousness, to gain an existential understanding of the cult that produced Mitt "Cyborg" Romney, and to get your socks scared off, read The Assassination of Spiro Agnew, available at:

www.amazon.com/Assassination-Spiro-Agnew-novel-ebook/dp/B0083EGJXC

Its brown-eyed, part-Mexican Mormon assassin dramatizes the Mormon superiority complex manifesting as jingoism and an anti-federal government temperament. It shows the similarities between Islam and Mormonism and reveals the secrets of Mormon mind control, the spiritual powers behind the cult.

Praise:

“With a clarity of language and vision unsurpassed in contemporary American prose, Steven Janiszewski's Assassination of Spiro Agnew takes us into a U.S. mazed with madness and Mormonism and all things Utah, a U.S. that was then and still is. Do we need a novel, even as brilliant as this one, about a young man on a divine mission to assassinate the Vice President because he is too liberal? Yes, now more than ever. Readers, welcome to a masterpiece.”
tomwhalen.com

Read The Assassination of Spiro Agnew.

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