The mystery man behind Ron Paul's millions

Slowly as the crucial primary votes come closer and closer, thanks to his growing legions of supporters working the Internet and street corners, Ron Paul is becoming a name to reckon with in the Republican nomination race.

Not so much because the 72-year-old libertarian-minded ob-gyn and 10-term GOP representative from Texas has any realistic chance of winning the nomination, let alone the election next November. But he can affect the outcome by drawing votes from others. (Though don't even hint at any skepticism about victory to his fervent, hopeful supporters, or they'll bury you in e-mails, some of them printable.)

Ron Paul is gaining more national recognition by the media, with voters and in the polls, where he's climbed from zero to nearly double-digit percentages, not necessarily because of his distaste for foreign entanglements and his eagerness to exit Iraq, and not necessarily because of his plan to dismantle much of the federal government, get rid of the Federal Reserve, honor the Constitution more and return to the gold standard.

Ron Paul is gaining more recognition because he's gaining more money, many millions of dollars in donations, much of it in small amounts. In the third quarter Paul outraised current Republican front-runner Mike Huckabee by 5 to 1. This quarter the Paul campaign has a shot at raising the most money of any Republican candidate, depending on how much of his own loot Mitt Romney puts in.

On Sunday, the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the Paul campaign is shooting to break the one-day online fundraising record of more than $6 million.

So how is this little old man with the unorthodox political ideas doing all this? Well, as The Times' campaign finance guru, Dan Morain, explains in a fascinating feature article to appear here late tonight on the website and in Sunday's print editions, it's mainly because of a nobody named Trevor Lyman, who's so little known that Ron Paul called him Clymon during a TV interview.

He's a 37-year-old generally unshaven musician who was smitten with Paul's program last spring ...

and offered to help raise money. Using the Internet creatively and Paul's 1,200 meet-up groups, Lyman detonated the first "money bomb" on Nov. 5, raising $4.2 million for the Paul forces, which enabled them to get on TV in New Hampshire, among other things, and to finance a Ron Paul blimp publicity stunt.

The next target date was Nov. 30, a disappointment at "only" $500,000. The Web, including the comments section of this blog, has been abuzz in recent days with Paulites touting their candidate. The campaign's website puts this quarter's fundraising as having passed $11.5 million.

But tomorrow's "tea party" might change all that. You can read Morain's complete story here.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Todd]

Where did all the journalist go? Your bio says that you have a life long facination with politics. Perhaps, you've lost that childhood fasincation and replaced it with snobbish arrogance.

"Ron Paul is gaining more national recognition by the media, with voters and in the polls, where he's climbed from zero to nearly double-digit percentages, not necessarily because of his distaste for foreign entanglements and his eagerness to exit Iraq, and not necessarily because of his plan to dismantle much of the federal government, get rid of the Federal Reserve, honor the Constitution more and return to the gold standard."

Ron Paul is gaining for one reasoin and one reason only. His message of peace, sound money, individual responsibility, limited federal government, pro-life, and free trade. The money that he is getting from his supporters is because of this humble message of liberty. The media may only be paying attention because of the money, but, the money follows the message.

I hope that you can take off the blinders of cynicism that permeate your article and rekindle your passion for American Politics by climbing onboard the Ron Paul Revolution.

P.S. talk about money - my guess is $8 million tomorrow - December 16th, 2007

[Dann McCreary]

Hey Andrew,

Thanks for mentioning Dr. Paul again and again, and thanks for the links to the fundraising website.

Methinks you do protest too much, and too repeatedly that Ron Paul has no chance.... does the prospect of his Republican nomination and the coming Ron Paul White House frighten you that much?

[Andya]

Thank you Andrew. I know you had to put that line in about Ron Paul having no chance, but deep down you waving the Ron Paul flag harder and higher than ever. The proof is n the link egging us on. Good for you. Andy

[Guy Borders]

Don,

Your complete ignorance of the larger picture here is astounding, and if you are simply writing this article to add to your fluff on your CV, shame on you. There are millions of honest, capital producing Americans that want to restore the Constitutional Republic of our forefathers that fought and won their freedom against Governments that forged people into their indentured servitude helped by people like you that simply perpetuate the shackles around Liberty. Look inside yourself and I know you can find a better man.

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth."
...George Washington.

Guy Borders

[Al]

Nov 5th was not the first money bomb but why let facts stand in the way of a good story. Why do some people have such a hard time figuring this out? This would have happened with or without Lyman and he is far from the only one publicizing these events. It's not as if someone is going out and making more people donate, the money bombs are simply trying to get people to donate on the same day rather than randomly spread over a period of time.

I guess the concept that many people using the internet to communicate and share ideas on how to help an honest man become President isn't sensational enough... No idea why you needed to conjure a mysterious sneaky person to write about.

[Doug R]

Guess what? Clyman didn't even come up with the idea for Nov 5th. He made a website for someone else's idea. He also didn't detonate the first "money bomb" on Nov. 5, it was like the third or forth, and he didn't do it himself. 39,000 people participated and almost NONE knew or cared who he is.

There is no "man" behind the donations. It is a revolution.

[JR]

"So how is this LITTLE OLD MAN with the unorthodox political ideas doing all this? Well, as The Times' campaign finance guru, Dan Morain, explains in a fascinating feature article to appear here late tonight on the website and in Sunday's print editions, it's mainly because of a NOBODY named Trevor Lyman, who's so little known that Ron Paul called him Clymon during a TV interview."

Hmm...you are truly a bed-wetting liberal journalist, aren't you? Be ready. Here WE come. This is only the beginning.

(You are so funny. And the priceless names you come up with. You find a place that's been writing regularly about Dr. Paul and you criticize them and wonder why most of the world ignores your movement. But thanks for reading, writing and making our day. I'm still chuckling.)

[FZappa]

"Not so much because the 72-year-old libertarian-minded ob-gyn and 10-term GOP representative from Texas has any realistic chance of winning the nomination"

Way to discredit yourself right off the bat, Andrew...

[Pliny]

Do all journalists have to swear some kind of oath to stick the words "cannot win" into every piece they write about Dr. Paul?

(Hope does spring eternal and I wish you luck because it looks like so many dedicated folks are working so hard for his campaign. Guess we'll all see soon enough.)

[Joseph]

The mystery man is a prime example of the mysterious forces at work.

Joseph Campbell said that artists, poets, and storytellers are the prophets and seers of their own centuries.

The artistic voice has made a prediction, hauntingly accurate so far, about this election.

Consider the film Napoleon Dynamite. It tells the story of an election won by candidate who had the best campaign gimmick. Air filled objects, a football and a tether ball, appear repeatedly in the film. I leave it to readers to identify the real life candidate who has a gas filled object as a campaign gimmick. I suggest the film predicts he wins!

For an imaginative analysis of this election based on historical precedent go to http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/thread.cfm?catid=2&subcatid=30&threadid=227812

Read all the comments on the blog thread and you may just conclude that Napoleon Dynamite has a very good chance of coming true.

Albert Einstein said his ability to fantasize was more important to his success than his ability to absorb practical knowledge.

A little exercise of our fantasy skills may help our country flourish in peace and prosperity with the rest of the world.

To paraphrase Fox news, We the People fantasize, and We the People will decide.

To the artists who created Napolean Dynamite, you deserve an Oscar for best picture of all time if it foreshadows a Ron Paul victory!

[Tess]

Thank you Andrew for the article, many thanks.

Ron Paul is gaining ground by speaking the truth, and spreading the message of Liberty and our Constitution, and mind you,
the press has not done it for him, they didn't have to, he and his supporters have. Huckabee has a very little support and not
much cash, and the media took him under their wing and took him to the top. He has peaked way too early, and the New Hamphire
primaries will show that, but by then the press will probably be touting someone else.

The press fears Ron Paul, and rightfully so. He will not tolerate what has been going on in Washington and all the Corporate Welfare
in America and that scares the daylights out of quite a few greedy people in this country. It is time to clean up Washington, and that is
exactly what Ron Paul and his supporters plan to do when he wins the GOP nomination. Ron Paul will put in place a good foreign policy plan,
bring the troops home, cut government spending, get rid of the IRS, and get this economy back on track. We The People, the supporters of
Ron Paul will be out voting, that you can be sure of.

[Becky Blauvelt]

Andrew,

You wrote:

"Ron Paul is gaining more recognition because he's gaining more money" but I would argue that Ron Paul is raising more money because he is getting more recognition. You yourself concede that the millions of dollars in donations he has recieved have come in the form of small amounts. The support for Ron Paul continues to grow, and it is exactly because "of his distaste for foreign entanglements and his eagerness to exit Iraq, and not necessarily because of his plan to dismantle much of the federal government, get rid of the Federal Reserve, honor the Constitution more and return to the gold standard." Because as a Ron Paul supporter though you may not agree with him on all issues, he explains his point of view in such a logical way that you must respect his views and his consistency.

Becky Blauvelt

PS Thank you for linking to the campaign website and mentioning the Tea Party Fundraiser- it will be memorable!

[Peter Liu]

I wish for once the media will stop saying "he has no chance". Do you ever hear these kinds of bias views on McCain, Thompson, or Tancredo? I mean, if anyone has no chance of winning, it would be Tancredo.

(Exactly And how much have you read about him here--or elsewhere? Now, if he got $4 million in one day in Nov. and went from 0 to 8% in polls you don't want to believe but always mention, you'd see more written about him.))

[Doug]

A better question might be, why are so many people donating to Ron Paul? What are they trying to tell you?

"Little old man"??? Did you see the last debate? Ron Paul is taller than John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, and Mike Huckabee.

[Karl]

Here are a few reasons behind Ron Paul's money:

http://ronpaulforpresident2008.com/editorials/tossthis.html

[Craig]

I find it humorous that every article, and in every interview, it seems almost required that it be mentioned that Ron Paul cannot win. Why does it seem that everyone in the MSM knows this for a fact? Do they know something that the average person does not? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

(Well, we'll all see soon enough who was right. But a lot of people in the political media have seen a lot of campaigns over a lot of years and even though Dr. Paul's people think they are unique in their fervor and dedication, there have been millions go before them in countless hardworking insurgent campaigns with the same idealism and dedication and they lose. So after watching these campaigns for 40 years or more, you admire the workings of democracy but you do see some familiar patterns. What's neat is that nowadays you too have a forum right here to make your own case, as you and others do--the R. Paul boosters who think this is a great article because it links to their sites and the Paul people who don't. If we're wrong, there will be tons of coverage and comments because of the observations. If you're wrong, doubt we'll hear from you.)

[JohnnyB]

Thank goodness you reminded us he has no chance, John McCain is looking for a 3 million dollar loan to continue, Mitt needs to spend his own fortune, Fred spends all of his funds on "fundraising"lol and steaks, and Rudy tapped out every last NY socialite wanting a bubble over the city and the FEDs to walk their kids to school. Thanks for telling us who can win, without you we could not be led. Tell the sheople who to vote for.

(Gee, you're a little too excited for a Saturday. There's absolutely nothing in any item in this blog telling people who to vote for. Not one. There are words based on the polls you hate so much that indicate who those samples say they will vote for. It's just a snapshot at that moment. Thanks for reading and commenting.)

[Bill Jenjik]

"Not so much because the 72-year-old libertarian-minded ob-gyn and 10-term GOP representative from Texas has any realistic chance of winning the nomination, let alone the election next November"

Ya gotta love the arogance & stupidity of the third-graders who write for the LA Times...

(Oh, third-graders! That's a new one. We'll have to add it to the list of other names used by R. Paul boosters posted in the office.)

[Doug]

Mr Malcolm,

I'm still voting for Ron Paul ! Forty year of throwing mud at Candidates that's the best you can do? Shame on you !

P.S The two words that Ron Paul has going for him are integrity and honesty in your free time you might want to look those two word up

[Jules]

You don't show "skepticism about victory" instead you show a severe lack of skepticism about defeat.
Skepticism per se is a good thing, btw.

[Matt Salla]

This is the first time I've heard someone mention Dr. Paul getting Trevor's name wrong. I remember hearing it and just laughed. All the reading I do and I didn't know the name exactly. I thought Lyman was hist first name. Eventually I realized it was Trevor. Pointless, but tickled me.

Ron Paul is really his own man. He goes his way. He'll win a couple early primaries. Coupled with all the cash on hand and die hard supporters, Super Tuesday will seal the deal. We'll have a real election this November.

[cantwaittolaughatsocalledjournalistseverywhere]

I love the negative reporting of Ron Paul by so-called journalists...
I wonder if they realize it gets him even more support...hahaa
Thanks for the advertisement.

I think they secretly like Dr Ron Paul and theyre just scared that a whole lot of people besides them will be right.

[HR PAINE]

Andrew, you're a chump. The whole movement is about Ron Paul's political positions. Our tactics for waking people up may be what empty minded media figures like to write about, but those tactics are necessary because people like yourself are asleep at the wheel--or because you've got your orders and don't dare give Paul any genuine positive press.

Do a story about private criminal bankers manipulating the money supply, running the economy into the ground and ruining working people's lives. I dare you. Do a story about the erosion of rights, fearmongering, and warmongering that historically precedes tyranny. Do a story about the absurdity of Red China sustaining the American economy. Do a story about the real world success rate of public education, or the department of energy ....These things are why Paul is so relevant and why his supporters are so persistent. No one else has the guts to even name the problems, much less offer solutions.

Any idiot can come off smug. Where's the substance, Andrew? Where are your ethics?

(Chump. We'll add that one too. Thanks for reading.)

[cantwaittolaughatsocalledjournalistseverywhere]

I love the negative reporting of Ron Paul by so-called journalists...
I wonder if they realize it gets him even more support...hahaa
Thanks for the advertisement.

I think they secretly like Dr Ron Paul and theyre just scared that a whole lot of people besides them will be right.

(You sound like you think we care who wins. If Paul does well, bucko, it's a much better story, isn't it? So if you don't like this item, you can go to what I'm sure must be thousands of other major websites that are writing about and publicizing Ron Paul's Tea Party in advance.)

[Juris Purins]

I'm donating to Dr Paul's Campaign again on the 16tth of December as I did on the 5th of November. Dr Paul has the Only Message of Peace, Freedom, and Prosperity out there. The current crew of montebanks is only interested in fear mongering so they can do what they want to behind the curtain of 'Security'.

I say: throw them in the Harbor and Go for the Only Honest Man in Government.

P.S. Obviously Millions of Americans who respond to Dr Paul's message must be 'Fringe People'