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Monday, December 17, 2007

Ron Paul's remarkable haul

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) reportedly raised more than $6 million yesterday for his presidential campaign, surpassing the one-day record of $5.7 million previously held by Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

The grassroots fundraising effort was timed to coincide with the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, when American colonists took direct action against the British monarchy, dumping cheap imported tea in the city's harbor and helping brew the American revolution. In honor of that historic event, Paul supporters gathered on the State House steps in Boston and marched to Faneuil Hall for campaign speeches by Paul's son Rand, an eye surgeon and founder of a Kentucky eye clinic that serves the poor, and Carla Howell, a libertarian who ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts governor in 2002.

The fundraiser was organized by musician and Internet entrepreneur Trevor Lyman, a political neophyte with no official connection to Paul's campaign. A former Florida resident who recently moved to New Hampshire, Lyman also orchestrated a nationwide fundraiser that raked in an estimated $4.2 million for Paul on Nov. 5 -- Guy Fawkes Day, which commemorates a British revolutionary who tried to assassinate King James I.

Paul's campaign has raised $18 million since Oct. 1, surpassing by 50 percent its goal of $12 million, Politico.com reports. The extra money will be used to hire new staff, air more ads in early states, and bring students to canvass in Iowa over the winter break.

Paul's fundraising haul is particularly impressive considering his low poll numbers: He was at 4 percent in the Dec. 7 CBS News/New York Times poll, trailing far behind GOP frontrunners Rudy Giuliani with 22 percent and Mike Huckabee with 21 percent. But the candidate's backers say the polls underestimate his actual support because they query only those who've previously voted Republican, while Paul's libertarian principles and calls for an end U.S. military imperialism attract many citizens who previously shunned mainstream party politics.

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posted by Sue Sturgis at 12:27 PM | Email this post | Post a Comment
1 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For all the naysayers..

We had a tea party Ron Paul meetup last night in a small town. We advertised it in our local paper and Oh. My. God.

Would you believe 50 people showed up???

Get this, half of the people dont use the internet!!! They all saw the ad and decided to join us. It gets better.

Most of the new folks were older. Die hard classic Republicans. People who were there for the Goldwater movement. They all are very proud of Dr. Paul and happy to see someone with some common sense motivating people. We also had the head of the Liberitarian party for the state come by.

He was shocked. He told us that he's never seen that much enthusiasm for a candidate. He said the LP couldnt get that much support at the state level.

No matter what happens Ron Paul has won. For 30 years he has been fighting to cut government spending, lowering taxes and defending our rights. His message has tapped into the American dream. You dont need to be asleep to believe it anymore because his message wakes you up!

Last night people from every walk of life, Young, old, Republican, Democrat, Independent, veterans and a couple conspiracy believers came out to support Ron Paul.

The point is this, Ron Paul is uniting Americans.

Thats something NO OTHER POLITICIAN IS DOING.

Im a proud Republican. Im a proud American. Im very proud of my support for Ron Paul.

Id like to leave with simple question for the people who dont support Ron Paul.

What do you fear from a Ron Paul Administration?

12/17/2007 2:01 PM  

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Who Are These Folks?

CHRIS KROMM blogs three days a week for Facing South. Chris is Executive Director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of the Institute’s award-winning magazine, Southern Exposure.

SUE STURGIS blogs four days a week for Facing South. Sue is the Institute’s Editorial Director and a former reporter for The Independent Weekly and The Raleigh News & Observer.

DESIREE EVANS blogs four days a week for Facing South. Desiree is a Research Associate at the Institute and former policy analyst for TransAfrica.

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