How did people take this so seriously, especially on a meme community?

"Poe's law is an adage of Internet culture which says that, without a clear indicator of the author's intent, any parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of those views."

(Gore?)

There is an urban legend saying he claimed to have invented the internet. What actually happened was that he was asked in a 1999 interview how he was different from other candidates and replied: "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. [...]". He was probably referring to legislative efforts.