Rick Scott announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate on Monday, and a group opposing the Florida governor’s candidacy was ready.
Florida voters are getting Rick rolled.
The League of Conservation Voters set up a Twitter account, @RickRollRickSct, to keep in check "A sham environmentalist trying to deceive Florida voters."
The group resurfaced a classic internet prank, revisiting the 1987 Rick Astley music video of "Never Gonna Give You Up." The LCV created GIFs of Astley dancing, but superimposed Scott's head on the British singer with the title "Never Gonna Give Up," and adding subtitles such as "On Fossil Fuels," "On Conspiracy Theories," and "On Offshore Drilling."
For those unfamiliar with the "Rick roll" prank, it went like this: An email or comment in a chat room would contain a hyperlink that would be be teased with a tantalizing comment. Clicking the link would redirect the viewer to Astley's music video of "Never Gonna Give You Up." The opening snare drum riff of Astley's dance number was the tip-off that the user had been deceived, and so were the audible groans of computer users tricked into clicking the link.
In a post on Medium, the LCV said Scott was guilty of "attempting to deceive Floridians about his record on offshore drilling, climate change, and protecting the beaches and other special places that drive Florida's tourism economy."
Although the group is officially nonpartisan, it supports Democratic candidates, The Tampa Bay Times reported. In 2012, the LCV gave Sen. Bill Nelson — who Scott will try to unseat in the 2018 election — $18,419, according to OpenSecrets.
The LCV stresses on @RickRollRickSct that it paid for the Twitter account, and it was not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
But the group said it wanted to let voters what’s been going on, and as Astley once sang, “We know the game and we’re gonna play it.”
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