[2ndDivisionVet]

I'm at a loss as to how the Paul campaign is able to utilize all that "loose cannon" volunteer support, money, blogs, signs and other activity without attracting attention and discipline from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Is it because it is so "grassroots" and "under the radar" and Internet-based that the FEC can't track it? Any other candidate doing the same thing would be fined millions of dollars! The liberal blogger Lane Hudson turned in Senator Fred Thompson to the FEC for supposedly not dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" but no one seems to care that Paul's campaign is flagrantly violating the rules of the game. Most of it is "in-kind" contributions by supporters usually not under the campaign's direct control, but it is still illegal, IIRC. Any lawyers here that know what's what?

[Cicero]

His followers are what Eric Hoffer called true believers.

No matter how much money they throw into the pot, there’s no way that Ron Paul is going anywhere, outside of his district.

[NCSteve]

So, are you accusing Paul’s campaign of illegal activity? Do you have any evidence or are you just guessing?

[Terrence DoGood]

Again, who the heck is Ron Paul? Oh I remember, the kook from Texas trying to pass himself off as a Conservative.

[Drango]

Paul/Kucinich ‘08
or ?
Paul/Sheehan ‘08

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

It’s not against federal law to have unpaid, enthusiastic volunteers making signs, donating their time and money, working the grounds, and contributing individually without the aide of special-interest groups or PACs, but whatever. It’s all moot anyway, right? Paul’s not going to win anyway, he’s a moonbat kook. Let’s just say that all of Ron Paul’s money came from Code Pink, MoveOn.org, and neo-Nazis skinheads and kill the thread.

[Brilliant]

$1,000,000? That’s about 2% of what Hillary has in the bank.

[South40]

The only thing surprising about Rupal is that he’s not locked up in an asylum.

[RetiredArmy]

. . . but no one seems to care that Paul's campaign is flagrantly violating the rules of the game.

Because Paul is yelling pull the troops out now and Bush is an idiot. That's why. He smells like a liberal to liberals.

[pickledelf]

Just goes to show how wrong campaign finance law is. People should be able to freely support their candidate to whatever extent they want and in whatever manner they choose.

[t_skoz]

How is it in any way illegal to create your own campaign materials clearly marked as “not paid for or authorized by any candidate or committee”? How is it illegal to spraypaint someone’s name on a sheet of Tyvek or write it on a posterboard? How is it illegal to make t-shirts and buttons with your own money? How is it illegal to pay for your own booths at fairs and gatherings to promote a candidate, for free, on your own time, with your own campaign materials? How is it illegal to talk to your friends and neighbors about a candidate? How is it illegal to wave signs for your candidate, many of which you have paid for or made yourself, on a street corner?

None of these activities are illegal. And in addition to millions of dollars worth of campaign materials created for free and paid for by individuals, millions of hours of volunteer work in every city in America, we have the ability to raise actual campaign contributions as well. For example, $6600 every single hour, 24 hours a day, for 1 week. Currently, with 4 hours left in Q3, $1.13 million. All perfectly legitimate and under the scrutiny of the FEC.

That is the biggest grassroots organization in the current Presidential campaign, and we are a “top tier” campaign.

[longtermmemmory]

He is a “useful idiot” candidate.

I suspect he gets funding the same way Hsu funded democrats.

He is a way for the left to infest the republicans and divert energy of potential hard core republican supporters who don’t see paul is a lunatic.

[paudio]

Every cent the loose cannon money goes to Ron Paul’s campaign means one cent less money goes to Obama or Edwards (those people in general are not keen to Hillary).

[paudio]

Every cent the loose cannon money goes to Ron Paul’s campaign means one cent less money goes to Obama or Edwards (those people in general are not keen to Hillary).

[George W. Bush]

RP's fundraising now at $1,131,000.

Obviously those spammers are spamming his donations on the web.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"Antiwar moonbats are the domestic enemy. Antiwar moonbats willingly give aid and comfort to the enemy during wartime. In my book, that's tantamount to treason. Ron Paul is an antiwar moonbat. You figure it out. If antiwar moonbats are the enemy and Ron Paul is an aid and comfort supplying antiwar moonbat, then Ron Paul IS the enemy!"

-- Jim Robinson, 09/30/07

Nuff Said! ;)

[calcowgirl]

other candidate doing the same thing would be fined millions of dollars!

Fined for what, exactly? What are you saying he has he done that is illegal?

[eyedigress]

Maybe that’s why they run?

[Captain Kirk]

Any other candidate doing the same thing would be fined millions of dollars!

The smell the scent of sour grapes and envy.

[George W. Bush]

Not sure how relevant it is but I did read elsewhere that John Edwards had been running a similar fundraising challenge to his supporters. Earlier today, he was at $900,000 and he'd been running his effort for ten days. RP succeeded in only six days and will likely make it to $1.2M by midnight (currently $1,147,800) despite having asked for only $500,000 to start with.

I thought it was interesting and showed, if nothing else, just how weak Edwards really is.

Some leading RP bloggers are saying they're sure he's broken $5M in 3Q fundraising. A few are talking $7-$8M and I saw one use $10M. To me, it'll be surprising if RP breaks $4 million. I do think RP will beat McCain and the rest of the second-tier candidates easily. I think Huckabee may pull his numbers up just a little. I think McCain is completely broke and several million in debt to boot.

It will be interesting to see official numbers being reported, especially when we get the official numbers in a few weeks.

I thought the earlier thread today on Fred raising $8 million was interesting. I guess I thought he'd easily raise more like $10-$15 million given how famous he is but I also didn't see him really spending a lot of time at big-money fundraisers in NYC, CA, etc. (like Rudy & Romney did) so he's done pretty well and has enough money to compete in 4Q as voters get more serious about picking and supporting a candidate financially.

[mnehring]

So, what is going to happen to Birkenstock’s stock around Christmas when all the anti-Establishment doesn’t have the money to buy new sandals?

Oh wait, I just realized.. Ron Paul is BRILLIANT.. This is how he plans to end the War on Drugs. He will get all the druggies to spend their drug money on his campaign instead. They won’t be able to buy pot and it will bankrupt the drug dealers... Brilliant!

Ron Paul is my hero.