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Ron Paul's Fundraising Surprises
Pundits
Warren Mass
JBS
Wednesday November 7, 2007
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R.-Texas) has
raised $4.3 million online in 24 hours — much to the surprise
of those who do not regard the congressman as a "top-tier"
candidate.
Follow this link to the original source: "Who
are Ron Paul's Donors?"
The major media — ABC News in this case — finally
seem to be sitting up straight and taking notice. The report noted
that Rep. Paul raised just over $5 million in the most recent
fundraising quarter, which ended September 30. The most newsworthy
part of the story, however, was the fact that on November 5 the
Paul campaign managed to raise another $4.3 million online in
just 24 hours!
The Paul campaign had attached a catchy slogan to the one-day
fundraiser, "Remember, Remember the fifth of November,"
borrowed from an old English nursery rhyme about Guy Fawkes. But
the real engine behind the successful fundraising is pure 21st
century. More than any other candidate, the Paul campaign has
relied on grassroots support brought together by Website activity
such as online chat forums and meetup groups. ABC News tracked
down Trevor Lyman, the man behind the Website that coordinated
Paul's successful fundraiser, in an attempt to explain how a candidate
who has so far been largely ignored by the media can garner so
much support. Lyman explained that someone suggested a mass one-day
online fundraising drive in a Ron Paul meetup group.
(Article continues below)
The headline "Who are Ron Paul’s Donors?" reveals
a sense of perplexity among those in the media concerning the
Paul campaign. It is as though they still have not figured out
how this former OB/GYN with a small town, country doctor image
has managed to step into the ring, slug it out with "the
big boys" like Giuiani, McCain, and Romney, and still remain
on his feet.
Many in the media are even confused about how to label Ron Paul.
Is he a conservative Republican? Is he a libertarian? Is he something
impossible to describe in conventional political terminology?
Both the confusion — and Rep. Paul's extraordinary level
of grassroots support — seem to stem from the same source,
however: He is unlike any other candidate running for president
this year, and for many years. We would probably need to go back
to the presidential election of 1952, when Ohio Senator Robert
A. Taft sought the Republican nomination, to find a leading candidate
in the Paul model. Taft would undoubtedly confuse many Americans
today, since, although he was unquestionably a conservative who
opposed the New Deal, he shared many of Ron Paul's views, such
as opposition to military intervention overseas. During the 1952
election year, influential opinion molders supporting General
Dwight Eisenhower — a lifelong Democrat before he sought
the Republican nomination — spread the mantra: "I like
Taft, but he can't win," torpedoing the Ohioan's candidacy.
While many people today have given Rep. Paul even less chance
of winning the nomination and election than Robert Taft had back
in 1952, Paul enjoys advantages Taft never had. The rise of the
Internet has broken the stranglehold of the mass media and the
national party bigwigs to allow grassroots Americans to exchange
ideas more freely.
In addition to allowing for a freer exchange of ideas, we have
just seen how the Web also allows candidates with lesser name
recognition to fund their campaigns. Given a fair chance, Ron
Paul will be able to get a hearing for his message of government
according to the Constitution, not the politicians.
The feisty doctor from Texas may surprise even more Americans
before this campaign is over.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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