Scaring the gatekeepers

Ron Paul raises a bit of cash:

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, aided by an extraordinary outpouring of Internet support Monday, hauled in more than $3.5 million in 20 hours. [$4.2M in 24 – VD] Paul, the Texas congressman with a Libertarian tilt and an out-of-Iraq pitch, entered heady fundraising territory with a surge of Web-based giving tied to the commemoration of Guy Fawkes Day.

Paul’s total deposed Mitt Romney as the single-day fundraising record holder in the Republican presidential field. When it comes to sums amassed in one day, Paul now ranks only behind Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, who raised nearly $6.2 million on June 30, and Barack Obama.

That whole “unelectable” theme is looking less and less credible as time passes. And once the so-called bigger names start dropping out after Iowa and New Hampshire, anything can happen.

It was such a big deal, NRO’s Corner even noticed:

Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) ended Guy Fawkes Day having done something no Republican has ever done before. He raised almost $4 million over the Internet without spending so much as a thin dime (beyond transaction fees, of course). This sort of thing just isn’t done — usually you spend between fifty and eighty cents for every dollar you raise. We can’t know for sure until the quarter’s end, but Paul is probably leading Rudy Giuliani and perhaps even Mitt Romney in cash on hand at this moment. It was the largest Internet fundraising day in U.S. history. Paul attracted 40,000 donors who gave about $98 on average.