Paul's haul

Jonathan Martin / Politico | November 7, 2007

Ron Paul raised over $4 million dollars online yesterday in 35,000 separate contributions.

And he's still going.

As of 9:03 this morning, he's already tallied $7.25 million for the quarter. At this pace, he'll likely outraise or at least be at parity with most of the GOP field (not including Romney's self-funding).

So why is this happening?

Soren Dayton has some pretty good explanations.

Similarly to Howard Dean in the last presidential contest, Paul is becoming a vessel with which one can fill with his hopes, dreams, resentments and grievances. He is, in effect, what you want him to be. Many on the left choose to ignore that Dean was a pro-gun, budget-balancing Yankee moderate governor. They wanted an anti-war, anti-establishment spear-carrier and Dean, a son of Park Avenue, become the unlikely leader. Just the same, many Paul supporters don't know or don't care about his somewhat outlandish views on the Gold Standard. They just want a man who will speak truth to power about the war and, more broadly, a flawed foreign policy that has been hijacked by neocons.

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So Paul could potentially play a role in both the New Hampshire primary (where Democrats and independents can vote) and in the general election, should he choose to run as a third-party candidate.

And in the general he could take from both parties. For all the elite media obsessing over Michael Bloomberg and his mushy centrism, it's not global warming and trans-fats that will energize most Americans. Rather it's flashpoint issues like the war, immigration and jobs (i.e. trade policy). And an "America First" candidate -- even a Libertarian-leaning one -- who stood squarely against interventionsim, any sort of amnesty and free trade deals would have natural appeal.

For Republicans who are angry at their party, can't stand President Bush and loathe the war even more, Paul could be a beneficiary. But then there are plenty of blue-collar Democrats who also have misgivings about the war and the GOP, but who would be aghast at, say, the prospect of giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants or, let's be honest, voting for a women or black man. Again, Paul could benefit.

Of course, this all may be for naught should Paul decide to pack it in when it becomes clear he won't be the GOP nominee and return to his role as "Dr. No" on Capitol Hill. But with the sort of money he's raising and the intensity he's drawing, Paul could be a player should he choose to go forward.

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