Breaking News: Ron Paul campaign donors set a record

Well, it looks like Ron Paul, the 10-term Republican congressman from Texas with the libertarian ideas, and his brave band of fervent followers have broken their own one-day online fundraising record.

Back in November, the Paul campaign reported raising $4.2 million online in one day with what they call a "money bomb," a fundraising gimmick devised by Trevor Lyman, a musician and self-appointed Paul fundraiser profiled by The Times' Dan Morain yesterday. Sunday's gimmick was to celebrate the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party on a website with a drawing of Paul that looks remarkably like that president on the penny.

As of shortly after midnight Sunday Pacific time, the Paul website was reporting more than $6 million raised on Sunday from more than 30,000 donors and an amazing fourth-quarter fundraising total surpassing $18.1 million. The little-known pro-life Texan, who favors abolishing much of the federal government and the Federal Reserve, could raise the most money of any Republican candidate this quarter. A spokesman said the average donation was $50.

If the reported number holds up when officially reported to the Federal Election Commission in early January, Paul will not only be the only Republican candidate to oppose the Iraq war, he'll be the only GOP candidate to increase fundraising totals each quarter this year -- from $640,000 to $2.4 million to $5.1 million to whatever this quarter's final total becomes above $18 million with two weeks to go.

Although Paul's poll numbers have only climbed from zero to the high single digits, the fundraising totals (he raised five times as much as Mike Huckabee in the third quarter) have brought "the Ron Paul Revolution" broader attention and credibility and the ability to advertise in the early voting states. With the funds his campaign has, among other things, produced a 30-minute TV biographical documentary to be broadcast across Iowa this coming weekend and available online here. Next Sunday morning a network TV audience will get a chance to see him grilled by Tim Russert for a full hour on "Meet the Press."

His legions of alert supporters scour the Internet for slights to right, frequently crudely, and any opportunities to promote their strict constructionist candidate. They dismiss the polls as slanted and the money-raising as the real indicator of the 72-year-old ob-gyn's growing national support among disaffected Republicans, Democrats and previous non-voters. The Times' James Rainey examined one Southern California meet-up group for Paul here.

We've written about these supporters here and examined hundreds of their comments here. No doubt there'll be some more to read down below here shortly.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Todd Tipton]

We will vote for Ron Paul no matter what. Ron Paul cured my apathy. No matter what happens, this is the beginning of something big and we are determined to make the USA great and respected again.

[John Howard]

Ron Paul cannot win and this I really know. It's true and can't be doubted, 'cause the TV tells me so.

If Ron Paul wins a poll, its spam as we now know. And if he loses, it is science. TV tells us so.

[David Keith Whitney]

Thank You Ron Paul for standing for sense and the Constitution. I've almost
given up hope for our sovereign Republic and its future until now. Thank you
LA Times for your more unbiased reporting. Keep up the good work.

[Rakesh]

Hi,
As a non-citizen watching from the sidelines, this gets better and better everyday. Congrats to the RP2008 supporters. One question that is not being addressed adequately:
with the internet becoming as common as electricity, how will the television media compete for its survival?? maybe that is the reason mainstream TV does not give Ron Paul more airtime?? somehow his supporters have figured out to generate cash($6-million??) and more supporters(24000 new supporters??) online without the help of TV. Do they realize how threatening that is to TV?? Equivalent to how the newspapers reacted when google stole the advertisers from them.!!
TV is after all , only 100 years old. Textual medium on the other hand is much older(thousands of years). Hence, text whether in books, newspaper, blogs will survive a lot longer(also, since it is such a deliberate medium, ie. you have to use your mind to read/write, it distinctively favors evolution:)!).

Is it possible that, in their fervor to convince the MS TV of their/ their candidate's legitimacy, the supporters have indicated at the obsolescence of MS TV as a medium for information(I guess TV is still the king of entertainment)??

[number9]

"They dismiss the polls as slanted..."

perhaps the times can suggest a proper way to describe polls that exclude your name as a choice?

[Keith]

"Band of fervent followers?" Where in the heck has this author been? Dr. Paul just got donations from 24,000 NEW doners. That is a tremendous "band."

[Stephen Burgio]

I just have to say that at 48 years of age, and being a Federal Employee who might lose his 26 year job if Dr. Paul gets elected, I'm still very gung-ho about him and have even changed my affiliation to Republican party in order to vote for him in the preliminaries. What a breath of fresh, honest air.

[Michael Oliva]

If it holds up? The numbers RP reports are real-time processed credit card reciepts :)

[Craig Combs]

I can't believe the LA Times isn't running photos of the thousands of Ron Paul supporters who marched down the Third St. Promenade in Santa Monica to the Santa Monica pier where we had our own Tea Party. It was a revolutionary moment.

[A-Shizzle]

Ron Pizzle 4shizzle

[Joe]

It is absolutely phenomenal the amount of $$ people are putting up for Dr. Paul. The MSM cannot ignore him for much longer, and if they do they will lose all (of whats left at least) credibility. Looking at a study done recently by a consulting company, its amazing to see the grass roots support that Ron Paul generates. I don't care what people say, he has a chance!

http://www.spartaninternet.com/2008

[blakmira]

I'm sure others were watching the donation counter on Ron Paul's site in amazement yesterday, just as I was. I've never seen anything like it in my life. It looked like a slot machine at a casino, flipping through hundreds and thousands of dollars per second as scores of supporters donated. We, the People, sure did put our money where our hearts were!

That morning I had prayed for it to reach $18 million and it hit just a little over. What a miraculous day! But then to so many of us, a truth-speaking politician like Ron Paul even existing in today's corrupt government is a miracle in and of itself. He's been the cure for so many people's apathy and a shining beam of hope and light for so many of us who never-cared-enough-to-vote for the lesser-of-two-evils.

This is only the beginning! And BTW, thank you for this article! You will be remembered as one of the first and only mainstream media (albeit online) to report truthfully about America's next "no-chance-of-winning"/"bottom tier"/"dark horse"/"long-shot" president, Dr. Ron Paul!!!

[Paul Furlong]

Thanks so very much for a great piece about Ron Paul
I'd like to respectfully point out that Ron Paul is a Constitutionalist; the roots of which began in 1025 with the Magna Carta and developed in "The Rights of Man", by John Lock in the 1600s. Our Declaration of independence and resulting constitution are the result of this great history. To call Ron Paul a Libertarian, while true, sells the man short. It's the Libertarians who embrace the philosophy of liberty put into action by our forefathers.

Ours was the first revolution in history where it wasn't one group of thugs fighting another over our freedom, beliefs and how we comport ourselves. We stood up and declared ourselves free and self governing.

Ron Paul truly is the spirit of freedom. Let's get him into office. Thanks, Paul Furlong

[DOUG WARD]

This is going to be a bigger story that when Truman beat Dewey! I hope the Times stays in front of the story. Think he can"t win?? To Quote Gandhi "first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, THEN YOU WIN!"

[Todd in Michigan]

The Ron Paul Revolution is NOT just about a great patriotic American running for President. It is much deeper and larger. It is a story (as your media people refer to these things) about how the American people awoke to find that their government had disregarded everything sacred like the U.S. Constitution, civil liberties, habeas corpus, and how their own government had turned into a vile, corrupt entity that promoted torture, the killing of innocent people around the world, preemptive wars with nations that pose no threat to us - all of this at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer. This is a story about how true Patriots are fighting to restore the U.S. Constitution and return our beloved country to a place we are proud to call our home.

[Pennsylvanian for Paul]

Just a note of clarification... These were NOT PLEDGES. The money raised is actual cash in hand, real donations. The money was pledged in the month prior to the Tea Party and the actual donations exceeded what was pledged. These contributions have already passed from the donors hands to the Ron Paul Campaign. It is as real as fiat currency can be.

Thank you for reporting this very important story!

[Christina]

I think that the amazing thing is that this money didn't come in huge lumps from wealthy business owners or actors etc. It came in small pieces from the backbone of the country. While other canidates may have more cash (and RP is catching up) it was made by a few people with alot of $$. RP has raised his money on the premise of a little bit from a lot of people. By this logic, wouldn't that mean that RP has a huge backing? I know this is a pointless question, but how can the polls be so unbalanced? I see this as proof of where the American People's heart lies; so where do these poll numbers come from?

[Robert Washington]

Well, I've considered myself a staunch conservative since Reagan held office. Not that I agree with the republican party on all matters -- but mostly. Today I checked on a well-known conservative political blog [to remain nameless] to see what the word was on the Ron Paul Tea Party -- only to find a tremendous lot of venom and hatred and idiotic name calling pointed toward Dr. Ron Paul from the blog writer and commentators.

It made me wonder -- what am I missing? And what are they [the Ron Paul haters] afraid of? I have looked a Ron Paul's record. I have examined his stance on the issues. I believe there is no more conservative candidate running for office today:

He has never voted to raise taxes.


He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.


He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.


He has never voted to raise congressional pay.


He has never taken a government-paid junket.


He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.


He voted against regulating the Internet.


He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.


He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

And, to me, anyway, he seems to be a genuinely nice, articulate, statesman-like candidate.

Look, I know for a lot of hardcore republicans the anti-war thing is a turnoff. Hey, I supported our entry into Iraq and continue to believe that what we accomplish there may in the long run turn out to be a good thing. (I think taking out a despot, a thug, a world-class mass murderer was a good thing!)

But I get very angry when I consider what we Americans have dedicated to the fight -- money and lives -- while the rest of the world gets off scot free. The U.N. has proved itself worthless. The global community has (mostly) proved itself worthless. We simply cannot continue to police the world.

If conservatives look closely at what Ron Paul has said about Iraq specifically and about foreign entanglements generally, I believe they will find his stance to run parallel to conservative ideals.

To the doubters, the haters, the hardcore, I say: dare to roam away from the herd. It is liberating to come to conclusions based on your own findings, beliefs and opinions rather than those of the media, bloggers or political party.

Thanks to Andrew Malcom and the L.A. Times for bucking the herd mentality and publishing news about Ron Paul.

[Mark]

I'd like to apologize for the harsh words of some Ron Paul supporters and try to help you understand that some people are very frustrated because the MSM seems to be ignorant of the issues and as a result downplays them and those whom support Ron Paul and his supporters as well.

This generates a great deal of frustration which unfortunately exerts itself at the keyboard which is often one of the few 'releases' that one has. Please look beyond the frustration and ask yourself "why". Why is there so much passion? Please do not assume that supporters of someone outside the norm are mistaken when the "norm" is obviously what is destroying America.

The United States is a great country because of it's people rather than it's leadership. The leadership in this country has clearly gone too far. The evidence that the very issues that Ron Paul is bringing up are root causes of this failure of the leadership is overwhelming to anyone that does the research to investigate it. Therefore the MSM is either ignorant, afraid to investigate or report the truth or biased. I contend that if they are afraid to report the truth or biased then these are forms of self-imposed ignorance.

Please remember this quote from Woodrow Wilson:
"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by
conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."

He was speaking of the Federal Reserve. Can't you feel the frustration of those who live and struggle in this present condition?

Thank you for posting my apology.

[Darryl Schmitz]

Thanks again for the coverage, Andrew. I regret that many of the messages you have read are crude and rude. Most of the supporters' feedback I have read by and large is thoughtfully-composed, and I as well try to add something constructive to each entry I write. We aren't all gifted writers, but the one thing that this massive - and I would contend underestimated - legion of supporters has in common is the conviction that America needs to rise above Party and do what is best for our country going forward, or we will pay a very devastating price, and perhaps sooner than we think.

[Arthur D Young]

Thanks for the good article on what is becoming an event... or revolution. People are fed up about the massive over-spending in our Federal government (which directly is destroying our future). Ron Paul literally stands alone as the only candidate that openly wants to bring control to the over-spending. We as a nation are sinking but every other candidate is still catering to the 'let's keep spending' attitude. I for one believe the concept of the US Constitution, and that if we return to following it's wisdom, many of our current problems could be corrected.

[julie]

andrew, i bookmarked your blog a while ago when i noticed you writing about ron paul. i am frustrated by the lack of the tv and print media's coverage. as a longtime LA times subscriber (after the fall of the LA herald examiner), i dropped my subsription (around the time of the davis/schwarzenegger ballot) but if you say there's a print article about ron paul in today's edition of the LA times, i'll go buy a copy!

[Kurt S]

Since the Republo-crats (our country really only has one political party - just try to tell the difference between them and you will see I am right) are almost certain to keep Paul from winning his party's nomination, those of us who love American and the U.S. Constitution as it was written and intended to be interpretted by the Founders need to be thinking about what to do next. All in favor of seceding from the Union and declaring Ron Paul our first president, raise your right hands!

[Kyle]

Mr. Malcolm,
Thank you for continuing to provide thoughtful and objective (if brief) coverage of the revolution. Would it be too much to hope for reporting like this in the print edition?

(We've had several good stories by James Rainey and Dan Morain. The links to them are in the blog items. Thanks for reading.)

[Livefree]

Dear Mr. Andrew Malcolm,

Thank you for a fair and balanced article on what is going on with the Ron Paul Revolution. Frankly, if you look at this phenomenon with an objective eye and mind, you will find out that the American people have found a viable outlet to express their outrage over the destructive path the country is being hijacked and steered toward.

With regards to the "national polls" number, anyone with half a brain could see through as fabricated with intent to deceive and censor the true political expression of the people. Then the silence of these big "news" outlets: CNN, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, NYT, WaPo, LAT, Heralds or Tribs, only reinforces the evidence of a conspiracy of censorship practiced by a tightly knit organization that is pretty much un-American.

We the people already knew these facts, but the Ron Paul Revolution has helped to bring the proofs to the surface for anyone with a decent IQ would be able to discern.

Thanks for the opportunity to express our feelings.