Ron Paul's Money Bomb: Its Echoes Still Resound
The Washington Post notes the continuing liveliness of the Ron Paul money machine, as Paulites rise to the support of the Senate campaigns of Peter Schiff and Rand Paul, Ron's son:
Rand Paul, who is running for the Senate in Kentucky and is the son of the congressman, has already raised $827,000, even though nearly the entire Republican Party establishment in the Bluegrass State has lined up behind Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Peter Schiff, an economic adviser to Paul's presidential campaign and a likely senatorial candidate in Connecticut, has raised more than $1 million, although he has yet to officially declare.
Both men have used the "money bomb" approach (encourage all donors to give on a certain day to post large 24-hour totals) to fundraising strategies that Paul pioneered.
Jesse Benton, a former Paul campaign spokesman, said he was not surprised by the amount of money that Rand Paul and Schiff have raised to date.
He called the Paul movement "legitimate" and "real," noting that the Campaign for Liberty -- an organization formed after the campaign and of which Paul serves as honorary chairman -- has raised $4 million since its founding in February.
My February 2008 Reason magazine cover story on the Ron Paul movement, in which I predicted the rise of a post-Paul wave of Paulite politicians and activists.
