Republicans: The Buzz Maker of the Week
In a week of big endorsements, Giuliani, McCain, and Romney all grab big names -- but Ron Paul captures the cash in a way the rest of the field can only dream of.
He raises more than $4 million in 24 hours without lifting a finger -- that's a lot of people saying yes to Dr. No.
abcnews.go.com
For Ron Paul, BUZZ Follows Cash
From the start, Ron Paul's campaign for president seemed like a mix between the quixotic and masochistic. He was an obscure 72-year-old congressman from Texas -- 20 years removed from running for president as a Libertarian -- who appeared to be doing little more than giving voice to the black-helicopter wing of American politics.
Paul's highlight -- if it was one -- figured to be the time he suggested that Americans brought 9/11 on themselves, giving Rudy Giuliani a chance to put his campaign back on track by lashing out at him on a debate stage.
But then something happened: Paul's campaign became a movement. It started with an online army. An eclectic group of true-believing libertarians, disaffected Republicans, and assorted anti-establishment oddballs flocked to Paul's message of smaller government, less foreign entanglement, and drastically lower taxes.
They swamped online polls and message boards, demanding that the mainstream media take notice. Then they started writing checks -- or, more accurately, using PayPal.
Paul shook the political establishment with a $5 million haul in the third quarter -- a number that put him in the same money league as Sen. John McCain and former senator John Edwards, two veterans of presidential politics.
But Paul's most impressive feat was ahead of him. On Monday, online activists inspired by the British 'Guy Fawkes Day' brought him $4.3 million in a 24-hour period, obliterating online fundraising records and ensuring that the ob-gyn known as 'Dr. No' will have his message heard for as long as he wants.
Republican strategists are busily assessing what it all means. Some argue -- rather convincingly -- that he's tapped into a take-on-the-system vein that's always been present in American politics, and that other candidates should continue to pay him no mind.
But Paul now possesses arguably the most robust grass-roots operation in the campaign. His network is truly grass-roots; his campaign isn't even equipped to cultivate the lawn.
He's going into the home stretch with better financing than all but two of his rivals: Giuliani, the frontrunner, and Mitt Romney, who is bankrolling his campaign with his personal fortune.
Many of Paul's donors may not know much about his positions, and may not think he has a chance of winning. But a large segment is being drawn to his radical ideas about foreign and domestic policy -- radical in the sense that no one else in his party is talking about them.
Paul is still more spoiler than contender. He professes mild shock at his own success as a candidate. Realistically, he remains the longest of long shots.
He's already secured himself a footnote in the story of the 2008 GOP race, and he'll land a prime speaking spot at the Republican National Convention. But for the tens of thousands of Paulites who are preparing yet more fundraising 'bombs,' that’s no reason to slow down.
--Rick Klein, ABC News, author of The Note |
