It’s possible to find something good in anyone. We can see that Paul has some good ideas we can use. I’m not talking about going to a gold standard or preventing a war between the states with 1850’s era politics. I’m talking about his money bombs.
Paul’s campaign money came from people. Small donations from "regular" citizens, not from Corporate shrills, PAC’s, Bundled funds, $1,000 a plate dinners, et al. (What I don’t get is why he is not harping this point, but that might just be another reason he’s imploding.)
To many of our candidates are funded by corporations. Heck even Obama’s "people driven" campaign has received millions from General Dynamics. (Obama's PAC connections)
There are two reasons for this that jump out to me. First, the law allows it. Second, the money for a campaign has always come from these places. You and I can’t do much to change the first problem very fast. We have to elect people who will make it an issue and hope that they won’t give in to the very special interests who funded them into office. Something that won’t happen very fast.
The second we can fix now. Candidates kiss up to the powerful because the powerful give the money. The old "why do you rob banks? –Because that is where the money is" issue. Why not take something that has been proven to work and use it ourselves?
Paul proved that you can raise large amounts of money from small donations, from real "normal" people. Paul’s supporters are not rich, they gave about $102 per donor in his money bombs. If we were to put together something like that we certainly could raise ten times what Paul did. Just think what a candidate would do to get $60 million from PAC’s? Just think what that same candidate would do to get it from us?
If we give them a better way to raise money, we gain the voice. The powerful have the voice and connections because they have the money. If we were the money, we could buy the voice. And lets be honest, what candidate would rather have $60 million coming from 6,000 PAC’s or $60 million from 600,000 citizens?
Here is my suggestion: How many people here would pledge to give at least $100 on two days, after the convention, to who ever gets the nomination? Lets say the day after the convention is over and the first of October. That way they have the money to spend before the election.