Politics/Intel
Ron Paul's Big Day
By now you have probably read or heard about the November 5th 'money bomb' which Presidential candidate Ron Paul's grassroots supporters arranged. Paul cleared $4.2 million in hard cash over 24 hours, an online record and likely also a one day primary record if factors such as 'bundling' are excluded (raised prior and delivered all on a single day). That his supporters are able to raise this kind of cash for a man preaching a non-mainstream vision of America - at least not today's mainstream - is simply amazing. The campaign estimates 37,000 people gave putting the average at $113.50 each. Memo to other Republican campaigns: Paul's donors are not even close to being maxed out. Do not for a moment think that if Paul is needing money in early January that his appeal will go unheeded. This guy can pull in $3 to $5 million on a whim.The event is not without its amusing side too. Beyond the Guy Fawkes/ V for Vendetta tie-in, the explanations of the so called 'Republican base' provide the most laughs. The single best was from a Hannity forum where it was stated that the 'donations were all coming from the Hillary campaign'. Really? All 36,500 of them? (these same people believe there are only 500 Paul supporters sitting in their pj's at the keyboard all day). They just seem unable to comprehend that a large number of their party have become so disgusted they are willing to financially support a (less) longshot whom represents their ideals and not some nebulous 'most able to beat/most presidential' attribute.
If Paul is able to get over 10% in the national polls he definitely, as he put it to Jay Leno, 'just might win'.
