Key to the new effort are consultants Trevor Lyman and Rick Williams, whose successful online money-raising effort for Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman, broke records last year. The pair masterminded a "moneybomb" drive called "This November 5th" that brought in an unprecedented $4.2 million in contributions in a single day. A repeat effort in December raised another $6 million for Paul.Sort of answers Markos Moulitsas's question about "where the libertarians are" on this issue.
Now the pair have built a web page for Accountability Now where opponents of the spy bill can commit in advance to donating money to the PAC. Similar to the Ron Paul drives, netizens can grab Accountability Now badges to place on their blogs, which link back to the fundraising pledge page.
Seemed a Good Idea to Drop a Bomb on the Wasteland
Sarah Lai Stirland reports on Accountability Now, a left-right effort to raise money for campaigns against congressfolk who voted the wrong way on FISA. And guess where the political muscle is coming from?
Comments to "Seemed a Good Idea to Drop a Bomb on the Wasteland":
Elemenope | July 9, 2008, 9:10am | #
Good.libertreee | July 9, 2008, 9:10am | #
Glen Greenwald was always fair to Ron Paul in his columns. I think his analysis of the FICA Bill is right on. I will be helping.Who would have thought that libertarians would become heavy hitters in money-raising?
Nigel Watt | July 9, 2008, 9:31am | #
Trevor Lyman's kind of an attention whore, but hopefully this will turn out good results.JMR | July 9, 2008, 9:34am | #
Like "Markos" would be any more of an authority on libertarians than his conservative counterparts. What a joke.JMR
Mad Max | July 9, 2008, 10:21am | #
When will these Paultard extremists stop wasting their time on trivial issues like the privacy of our communications, and get involved in the mainstream debate about *important* issues. For example, Senator McCain has been investigating the chemical preferences of sports players - now *there's* an issue worth worrying about! And what about Senator Obama's white grandmother? The Paultards don't have the guts to take a stand on this vitally important issue - they'd rather flog the dead horse of this so-called "Constitution" they're always whining about.J sub D | July 9, 2008, 10:21am | #
Trevor Lyman's kind of an attention whore, but hopefully this will turn out good results.Aren't all political movers and shakers limelight addicts?
Elemenope | July 9, 2008, 10:24am | #
And Mad Max has tragically been caught in a parody positive-feedback loop.Citizen Nothing | July 9, 2008, 10:25am | #
We need many more such libertarian attention whores.I love the "Republicans who smoke pot and get laid" meme. It's generally parrotted by leftists who actually have no decent grasp on any issues and whose positions on issues are merely peacocking their personal preferences blown up to "this is how it should be for everyone."
Any theory of politics that puts the terms "libertarian" and "get laid" is obviously working from some questionable premises to begin with, Michael.
Isaac Bartram | July 9, 2008, 10:59am | #
Trevor Lyman's kind of an attention whore,...I was going to reply but, as usual, J sub D and I are of like minds and he got it covered at 1021.
I don't know if you're really the person to be casting aspersions on others' ability to get laid, joe.
JMR | July 9, 2008, 11:01am | #
Believe me, the right parrots the pot-theme just as much, if you dare to attack their intellectually unsound, fiscally irresponsible failure of a drugwar. And joe, some of us get laid every once in a while, too.JMR
Whaever, Episiarch. Is your poster of Trinity from the Matrix getting soggy yet?
Is it really hard for that libertarians to get laid? I may be no Colin Farrell, but Christ. I've done OK. Is it because of the scarcity of female libertarians? Because super-political is far down on the list of attractive traits in women, as far as I am concerned.
joe, posters aren't real girls. You have to leave the house to meet the latter. You should give it a shot. But don't yell at them or insult their intelligence because they don't agree with you--they don't like that.
joe | July 9, 2008, 11:15am | #
Episiarch,I'm married. With kids. Would you like me to walk you though how that works?
R C Dean | July 9, 2008, 11:17am | #
Would you like me to walk you though how that works?This I gotta hear. Go ahead, joe.
joe | July 9, 2008, 11:20am | #
Step 1: meet women.Step 2: pick one.
Step 3: get married.
Step 4: *whisper whisper whisper*
Step 5: Progeny!
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 11:25am | #
Step 1: meet women.You still need to explain how you did this, because angrily banging on a keyboard all day doesn't seem conducive.
Step 2: pick one.
I guess she has no say in it?
Step 3: get married.
Well this is just foolish.
Step 4: *whisper whisper whisper*
joe, if you don't know what fucking is, just admit it.
Step 5: Progeny!
And I thought the getting married part was foolish.
You seem to be missing your Step 6: Get divorced because you yell at your wife when she doesn't agree with you.
Isn't joe a practicing Catholic? I doubt divorce is in the cards for him. A drinking problem and angry, attention-seeking children, perhaps.
joe | July 9, 2008, 11:30am | #
You're right, Episiarch. Angrily banging on a keyboard all doesn't isn't a good way to go about it. Perhaps that's your problem. I certainly didn't meet my snugglebunny that way.Here, let me break it down further for you:
1a: Leave house.
You seem to be missing your Step 6: Get divorced because you yell at your wife when she doesn't agree with you.
I wouldn't know about the yelling or divorce parts, but having a woman disagree with you doesn't seem to be something you have a great deal of experience with.
Come to think of it, I could just drop everthing between "woman" and "doesn't," couldn't I?
P Brooks | July 9, 2008, 11:31am | #
*sticks fingers in ears*LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA!!!!!!!!!
SugarFree | July 9, 2008, 11:38am | #
Libertarians don't have a hard time picking up women. Aren't we all privileged, rich, white males who worship corporations and drive SUV?Sure, that scares off hippie chicks, but smelling like peanut butter has always been a turn-off for me when it comes to women.
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 11:40am | #
I wouldn't know about the yelling or divorce parts, but having a woman disagree with you doesn't seem to be something you have a great deal of experience with.I'm sure not nearly as much as you. Sounds like a healthy relationship you have there.
Come to think of it, I could just drop everthing between "woman" and "doesn't," couldn't I?
Hurling my own insults back at me is totally weak, joe. Step up your game.
No wonder NutraSweet is a libertarian. If prostitution were legalized, he'd get better prices for healthier women, with no danger of arrest and seizure of his SUV.
joe | July 9, 2008, 11:46am | #
Step 3: get married.Well this is just foolish.
Step 5: Progeny!
And I thought the getting married part was foolish.
Gee, I can't understand why the wimminz aren't crashing your Firefly marathons.
joe | July 9, 2008, 11:46am | #
Aren't we all privileged, rich, white males who worship corporations and drive SUV?No, you're their groupies.
robc | July 9, 2008, 11:52am | #
Well, I normally enjoy the joe lovefests, but this one is just lame, so I have a question for Markos, since I know he is reading this (whats the emoticon for "yeah right"?).Where are the democrats on no-knock raids?
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 11:53am | #
Gee, I can't understand why the wimminz aren't crashing your Firefly marathons.Just because you got married and had a kid as soon as possible so that it would make your wife leaving you that much harder, don't assume that others are that desperate.
SugarFree | July 9, 2008, 11:55am | #
Aren't we all privileged, rich, white males who worship corporations and drive SUV?Except for the corporation bit, I'm all of the above. I just made fun of myself. Great. Although, I'm not sure a Honda CRV is really a SUV.
J | July 9, 2008, 12:05pm | #
My fiance once crashed a (probably boring to some of you) guys night involving a Firefly marathon.Not cool
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 12:05pm | #
I thought it was your wife that was rich, NutraSweet. What happensSugarFree | July 9, 2008, 12:08pm | #
Oh, I'll die long before I wear out my welcome to the point of divorce.Besides, we have a very happy marriage. It's mostly driven by the fact that we both married one of the few people in the world we don't consider complete idiots. (Man, have I got her fooled.)
joe | July 9, 2008, 12:12pm | #
Just because you got married and had a kid as soon as possible so that it would make your wife leaving you that much harder, don't assume that others are that desperate.Yes, they probably are sour. You don't want them anyway.
Dr. Vicarious, paging Dr. Vicarious. Please pick up a white courtesy phonoe. Paging Dr. Vicarious.
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 12:17pm | #
Yes, they probably are sour. You don't want them anyway.Hmm. No denial.
(rubs chin)
Paul | July 9, 2008, 12:23pm | #
Aren't we all privileged, rich, white males who worship corporations and drive SUV?No, that would be progressive, left coast Mayors who have a 'national voice' on global warming.
SugarFree | July 9, 2008, 12:23pm | #
In 2007 we re-did our TV room. A Laz-e-Boy couch and recliner, 50" DLP TV, a custom TV stand, a home theater package, and new Series 3 TiVo.It all added-up to what we pay in quarterly taxes.
And let me pre-buttal the you-can-afford-it-comments:
A. That's not the point and you know it.
B. Fuck you.
C. No... Really... Fuck you.
joe | July 9, 2008, 12:27pm | #
Wow, you've moved all the way to the chin?Somebody's gotten really good at it.
joe | July 9, 2008, 12:28pm | #
Q: How does a 32 year old virgin know your relationship is messed up?A: You've got one.
J | July 9, 2008, 12:30pm | #
Any theory of politics that puts the terms "libertarian" and "get laid" is obviously working from some questionable premises to begin with, Michael.Also, as someone who has defended joe in the past when people were being idiots and (purposely?) misunderstanding him, this is pretty dumb.
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 12:31pm | #
So 6 or 7 grand? So you pay 36-42 large in taxes a year? So you make like $125-150,000 per year?That's not rich, dude. That's comfortable, but it's not rich.
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 12:33pm | #
Wow, you've moved all the way to the chin?It is an erogenous zone, joe. If you did anything besides missionary you'd know that.
(I'd make a joke about how my dick is so long it reaches up that high but that's too obvious)
SugarFree | July 9, 2008, 12:45pm | #
Epi,But if you take in account we live in Kentucky. Our standard of living around here is very low.
Besides, it was a parody of what the poverty crusaders think is rich anyway...
Episiarch | July 9, 2008, 12:59pm | #
But if you take in account we live in Kentucky. Our standard of living around here is very low.True. I made that much in Manhattan, which of course doesn't go nearly as far, but it's still comfortable.
joe | July 9, 2008, 1:27pm | #
It is an erogenous zone, joe.Uh huh. Easiest $100 THAT hooker ever made.
Paul | July 9, 2008, 5:00pm | #
So you make like $125-150,000 per year?That's not rich, dude. That's comfortable, but it's not rich.
Wow, I guess I'm outclassed. That's rich. When one makes barely 1/3rd that, $125,000 is is pretty damned rich.*
*Yes, I know it's not 'RICH', but for me, my problems would be solved if I had that kind of jack. I should have gone into teaching or police work.