Ron Paul $$ raises eyebrows
by WonkoKevin
If you don’t sense some excitment and resentment in the air, you’re not paying attention. Ron Paul led all Republican candidates yesterday with 32% Wonkosphere buzz share from conservative bloggers. Why? Third quarter fundraising results drew the the hoorahs on Paul supporters and raised more than a few eyebrows in MSM.
First, the facts:
Texas Congressman Ron Paul, an anti-war libertarian making his second run at the White House, will report having raised $5.08 million in the third quarter. The number, which rivals those of John McCain and Bill Richardson, was boosted thanks to last-minute online fundraising that brought in more than $1.2 million in the last week of the quarter alone.
RealClearPolitics adds that with this money, Paul can be expected to stay in the race, and importantly he will start running TV ads.
Meanwhile, Marc Ambinder is right on-target with his analysis of the situation, including what it means to Mike Huckabee:
Oh me of little faith. Ron Paul cannot be dismissed as a gadfly; the chance for him to outperform expectations rises exponentially with additional million dollars he raises. 5.08m is real money. There must be, within the Republican Party, a vein of anti-war libertarian sentiment. It is longer and deeper than many of us had suspected. The Paul movement is probably one part Buchanan bridage and one part fiscal hawk. It is clearly active in ways that most of us haven’t adequately understood? Paul may be in a position to be a giant killer now. Imagine if he finishes second or third in New Hampshire ….
And Mike Huckabee raised a million. Realistically, with so little cash, he can either run a single flight of ads for two weeks or fund his field operations. His volunteer base has to expand at a rapid pace if he wants to remain viable. The political elites will be very hard on Huckabee tomorrow.
ABC and other MSM is trying to figure out what this all means; they’ll have more of a story if Paul’s numbers in New Hampshire can get into the double digits in the next month or so. Paul’s campaign is targetting $12M for the fourth quarter.
Finally, here’s one libertarian who’d rather vote for Obama than a non-Paul Republican.
Ron Paul is not going to win the GOP nomination. But this money message is most excellent. If the GOP wants to let the ‘tarians go in exchange for the religious right and the neocons, let them. And then let them lose until they consider why Paul is getting so many to part with what is in their wallets and the Republicans can then adjust their positions accordingly. Or not.
In the meantime I see reason to let the GOP continue its downward spiral without me and to vote for Obama. (Brief ad click-through.) Among other things, he comes as close to endorsing the end to drug prohibition as a viable presidential candidate can.
