Paul Bearers Raises Millions, but For What?

The Paul Bearers are set to have another big fundraising day:

Rep. Ron Paul, whose rock star status on the Internet has singlehandedly fueled his campaign, is poised to break another online fundraising record.

His own.

On Nov. 5, which was Guy Fawkes Day, a symbol of rebellion in British history, Paul hauled in $4.3 million in 24 hours -- the most money raised online by a candidate in a single day. Today, the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the day that helped spark the American Revolution, Paul's Web-savvy, intensely loyal supporters planned another "money-bomb." And by 6 p.m. EST, the "Paulites" had raised $4.1 million from more than 30,000 donors, bringing the Texas Republican's fundraising total this quarter to $15.8 million. And counting.

"We'll definitely pass the 4.3 million [mark]" by midnight Monday, Jim Forsythe, the former Air Force pilot (and Bush supporter) who leads Paul's New Hampshire MeetUp group, told The Trail.

His opposition to the Iraq war sets Paul apart from the rest of the GOP field, the Paulites say, and his fiscal conservativism and fiercely libertarian, live-and-let-live views, have attracted independents, Republicans and Democrats. Though he's yet to break into double-digits in various national and state polls, he recently placed fifth among Republicans in a survey by the Concord Monitor, polling ahead of former senator Fred Thompson and behind former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

Paul's online popularity, to the surprise (and envy) of other Republican campaigns, proves to be one of the most fascinating fundraising stories of the year. He's the only candidate, Republican or Democrat, to increase his fundraising haul with every quarter, raising $640,000 in the first quarter, $2.4 million in the second, $5.1 million in the third. And more than two-thirds of the money, his aides say, has come from the Internet. In what was first seen as an overly ambitious goal, aides said they needed to raise $12 million by Dec. 31 to be able to stay competitive in the early primary states. With the money raised, campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said Paul bought television spots in Iowa and New Hampshire and radio ads in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida. Benton added that the campaign has attracted 107,000 donors this quarter, with the median contribution of about $50.

"We're in a really good position, money-wise," Benton told The Trail.

But for what? He's still a blip in most of the polls. They'll have money to burn on advertising, but so far it isn't yielding any tangible results. The Paul Bearers still think there's a level of support out there that isn't showing up in the polls, but somehow, I doubt it.