BUMP
Posted on 11/30/2007 9:07:21 AM PST by traviskicks
Ron Paul may not win his party’s primary, but he is on track to capture another big title: Top Republican fundraiser for the final quarter of the money-obsessed 2008 presidential primary.
In the first two months of the quarter that began Oct. 1, Paul already has raised more than $9.75 million, putting him easily within range to best the amount rival Mitt Romney received from donors during the entire third quarter.
The Texas congressman has set a goal of raising $12 million before the fourth quarter’s Dec. 31st deadline, a sum New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani couldn’t achieve in the third quarter when fundraising events still dominated his schedule.
Paul’s chief e-bundler, music promoter Trevor Lyman, hopes to raise $2.5 million by day’s end with the campaign’s second online money bomb.
Of course, Romney can still buy the fourth quarter title by making a multi-million dollar donation to himself, which is widely expected.
And it could be that Paul’s striking, eleventh-hour surge may have come too late to dramatically change the campaign dynamics.
Nevertheless, Paul’s staff is racing to put up more advertisements before the Christmas season shuts down campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, where Paul threatens to peel away libertarian-minded Independent voters sought by now less well-funded rival John McCain.
And Republicans find themselves asking an unexpected question: Could Ron Paul have a real impact on who the party nominates?
Paul’s last stand provides fresh evidence of how the Internet can transform a dark horse candidate and make him harder to knock off.
“It’s highly improbable that he will get into the first tier. But he’s colorful,” says David Gergen, a former White House adviser.
He’s certainly not the Republican Party’s first renegade. Indeed, there is a certain familiarity to the rebellious rank-and-file pushback inside the Paul insurgency.
Think Pat Buchanan circa 1992 and his launch of the “cultural wars” against gays and feminists; and Buchanan again circa 1996 when he upset Bob Dole in New Hampshire with the cry: “All the peasants are coming with pitchforks. We're going to take this over the top."
Think John McCain circa 2000 and his Straight Talk Express and upset victory in New Hampshire over Bush that prompted the first-recorded gusher of online giving.
Given the right candidate or call to action, populist Republicans have a colorful history of shaking off the party yoke and reveling in a wild-and-crazy moment.
That helps explain why a quirky Texas congressman who opposes the Iraq war got into the race in the first place.
Same goes for Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, who had hoped to use immigration as the launching pad for an insurgent campaign.
What makes the Paul phenomenon unique this cycle is that there is no clear front-runner who can simply ride out the rowdy rabble until the party’s top-down instincts silence them.
That is creating an intriguing choice for the 72-year-old doctor: plow ahead on what still seems a quixotic quest for the White House or play spoiler by using his millions to help take out one of the front-runners.
Thus far, Paul is playing it safe, still absorbing what seems to be his dumb luck.
His financial windfalls have come from spontaneous Internet giving or big, online donation days organized by supporters outside his campaign.
Earlier this month, those outsiders orchestrated a one-day $4 million donation dump, now nicknamed a “money bomb.”
Another is scheduled to take place today and a third later this month.
“It’s a tremendous burden put on us and a responsibility,” Paul told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough recently.
“We have all this money now. We didn’t plan to have this much money. Our obligation is to figure out how to spend it. We are doing our best.”
Before the first infusion of cash, Paul had begun a modest $1.1 million television ad drive, mostly in New Hampshire.
Since then, the ad campaign has been expanded in Iowa. Pre-money-bomb, Paul was airing three radio ads; now he has more than ten running.
His television messages are mostly biographical, noting his career as a doctor, his record of never voting for a tax increase, and his opposition to the Iraq war.
The radio ads have a slightly tougher edge, accusing his opponents of supporting amnesty for illegal aliens (a shot at McCain) and flip-flopping on issues (a dart at Romney).
But some Paul supporters grumble that the advertisements lack punch and they are pressuring the campaign to take on an edgier tone.
His first television commercial showed supporters, some sitting around a diner table, talking up his candidacy. “Look, the man’s a doctor; he understand the health care mess,” says one woman.
“OMG! Common Guys! This is a terrible ad! My goodness. The Ron Paul revolution means a lot more than this,” bemoaned one supporter in a blog posting.
“I got nothin’ but love for Ron Paul, but this is pretty bad,” responded another.
As Paul climbed to fourth place in some New Hampshire polls, his rivals have sensed the new threat.
McCain has stepped up his attacks on his less-known rival and more incoming is sure to follow.
And, of course, there are inherent hazards in having money when you haven’t really planned for it.
Howard Dean raised $41 million in 2003 in the first campaign to fully employ the Internet.
By year’s end, his early advertising campaigns and rapidly expanding operation had eaten all but about $9 million of that cash.
Among his expenditures: Stacks of cell phones for Iowa volunteers that wound up stored in an office unused.
Bump:-)
Noticed that also they keep going back to that shrimp thing thats all they got ... but they get pissed if we remind them thet Fred lobbied for the Pro-Choice Crowd ...
the thing that baffeled me, was when he stated that using the Constitution as a base for ones priniples is not not a valid/viable thing to do ... never thought I would see that statement on FR
Wrong twice in one post.
I don’t ‘go back to it’ I note the hypocrisy of it.
Second, I could care less what you post about Fred Thompson.
Nice try, no ceegar.
"Dr" Paul (HAHAHAHAHA!) doesn't support troop withdrawl from Bosnia for the same reasons we condemn Clintons bombing of Serbs civilians in an illegal action. He only includes it in a general withdrawl of troops everywhere, leaving the world wide open to communist and Islamic crusades world wide, which BTW, will reach our shores even sooner that it would otherwize. (say a democrat government)
Thanks for the ping. Over 10MM dollars and climbing.
How has all the other candidates done in their “money bombs”? I heard Fred’s “giving day” went well.
These aren't the moonbat leftists, they're real people with families who just happen to be registered Democrats. And they're changing their party affiliation to Republican to vote for Dr. Paul.
You might be surprised about the college kids and young adults too. Many of them are flocking to Paul's rallies and signing up to be registered to vote for the first time. People keep comparing this to Dean in 2004, about how the army of college kids are going to vote for him blah blah, but the comparison is disingenuous. Dean still ran a traditional, top-down campaign, he just used the internet more effectively than the other candidates at the time.
Of course, his Congressional constituents in Texas can and do vote, and they aren't happy with him right now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Every election cycle Dr. Paul hears the same thing and proceeds to win as usual. Chris Peden has less than $1,000 on hand and the affection for Paul nationally will carry-over in his Congressional district.
Wackos aren't supporting him, real people who hated politics before are, and he's humble by it. He's not the egotistical type.
This guy's going 3rd party, I'm sure of it,
He told his wife that he wouldn't. He's been married for 50 years. I don't think he's going to lie to his wife, do you?
and he'll probably have zero effect on the election, since the whacko's who actually vote for him probably won't be people who would vote for either of the two major parties anyway.
If he won't have any effect on the election if he goes 3rd party, then why are you worrying about it? ROFL
ROTFLMFAO!!! Good day. moonbat.
LOL!
Your choice of spelling is much more than a Freudian slip, it is also the truth!
LOL, and thanks for the chuckle!
Very nice and patient of you to try and Clarify Dr. Pausl's TRUE position on these things ...
The thing is I don't think it makes a difference I believe that N.Z. already knows the truth of what you say ... He just chooses to make bald faced lies because he cannot reasonable argue his position ... even the most virulent Paul haters on this site are not foolish enough to try and accuse RP of being a Communist ...
so either N.Z. is a liar, or he really is uneducated about about the political concepts of Communism vs Classic Liberalism and Libertarianism.
I hope for his sake it was simply miseducation...
but N.Z. I am willing to entertain you and educate myself if necessary please provide Dr. Pauls policies that fall in line with Communism...
Thanks,
SubbyG
I do not believe that Dr. Paul would lie to his wife...
But, what I am hoping is, that Dr. Paul's wife will get sick of the unfounded attacks on her husband, and release him from his promise...
And his leftist supporters (which you now decide to acknowledge) are not moonbat leftist? They're just your ordinary everyday "so angry about and blinded by the war they'll threaten to vote against their own party" leftist Democrats, eh? You know, the calm, rational, reasoned type who boo war veterans at debates. Good to know.
Anyone caring to donate to a Texas congressional race can do so at http://www.chrispeden.org/, by the way. Maybe Peden's supporters can set up a money bomb on Yassir Arafat Day, or Jack the Ripper Day, or some other day named after either a notorious criminal or failed "revolutionary". Doubt it'll be necessary, though. Seems these particular Texans will be voting against the lunatic fringe of Ron Paul more than for Peden. Whatever. It works.
BUMP
lol, dude you just called Triple E a moonbat ...
you have forever lost all credibility ...
please share some of what ever hallucinogenics you are taking with me as that has got to be some kick ass stuff ... again N.Z. your uneducated idiotic ideas about policy and politics astound me ...
I work in finance. The dollar is falling.
You're a McCain supporting 2005 n00b who doesn't appear on the FR Donor List. Explain to me why your opinion should mean a thing.
About the only upside to a Giuliani candidacy is how much fun it will be to watch the Paul-bashers morph into Rudy flacks.
What is the highest level of education you've attained?
It's not the same. People are registering Republican for the first time on their own free will after reading about Paul. Paul's campaign conducted zero voter registration drives.
I guess I should have added "registration" to the yard signs and $50 as being one thing, whereas actually going to a polling place is another, especially when you can see the guy you'd be voting for is still at 5% or lower.
People got up and paid to vote for Dr. Paul in the straw polls he's won; you're telling me they won't have the passion to actually vote when it counts? C'mon. I've already explained to you why Paul is low in the MSM polls.
It's nice to dream about things like that, but eventually, y'all have to awaken. Not a snowball's chance in Hades of garnering the nomination. But hey, he is outpolling Tancredo. There's a nice little peg to hang a tiny little hat on.
I'm just happy that Dr. Paul is pushing the GOP back to it's old-right conservative roots and educating college kids about liberty and the Constitution. Read the comments sections of newspaper articles, people are talking about the Constitution again. Dr. Paul's work will live on while the other Republican candidates will be footnotes. Who's going to call themselves a Giuliani Republican 20 years from now at a GOP convention? A Romney Republican?
And his leftist supporters (which you now decide to acknowledge) are not moonbat leftist? They're just your ordinary everyday "so angry about and blinded by the war they'll threaten to vote against their own party" leftist Democrats, eh? You know, the calm, rational, reasoned type who boo war veterans at debates. Good to know.
If the hardcore anti-war types are supporting Paul, then they're just wasting their time, because Paul's not going to change for them. He's not a pacifist, and he opposes liberal pet foreign causes like Darfur. These people are in the extreme minority and are trying to make Paul look bad, IMO. Most of the people who oppose the war aren't out in the streets wearing Code Pink memorabilia and holding anti-Bush signs. Real people with families can be Democrats too, you know.
Anyone caring to donate to a Texas congressional race can do so at http://www.chrispeden.org/, by the way.
Peden has a website? ROFL. What is it, a blank page with the words "Chris Peden" on it?
Maybe Peden's supporters can set up a money bomb on Yassir Arafat Day, or Jack the Ripper Day, or some other day named after either a notorious criminal or failed "revolutionary".
Maybe Peden should drop his ridiculous vanity run and leave Paul alone, because the GOP is going to court him and his supporters in the primaries for his endorsement if he loses. In exchange, they should drop their bi-annual attempt at supporting RINOs or Dems against Paul.
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