Last Sunday was the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. It was also the second time that presidential candidate Ron Paul brought in millions of dollars in a day-long fundraising blitz. In 24 hours, he raised about $6 million, breaking a record he set of $4.2 million Nov. 5.

He didn't raise the money, actually. The donations were collected outside the campaign, by self-motivated volunteers. Much of Paul's campaign, in fact, has been energized by people other than his paid staff.

"I was the pessimist," said Paul, in an interview Wednesday. The life that the internet has given to his campaign and the enthusiasm of his young supporters have surpassed his own expectations. If somebody had told him he would raise $10 million in two days when he was first considering a bid, he said, "I know I wouldn't have run."

The two focused fundraisers, or "money bombs" as the donors call them, were dreamed up by Trevor Lyman, a 37-year-old Paul supporter who was in a hotel in Maryland yesterday, following a blimp that he runs as a floating advertisement for the

Texas congressman. That's coming later.

"The great thing about doing these money bomb things is that we create an event and a spectacle," said Lyman. "Not only money, but we earn publicity for the event. That's one of the reasons why we do it."

Pause. Can raising money for advertising advertise? That's right. These two fundraising events have brought, then bought, Paul publicity across the country. The second bomb is being hailed as the biggest one-day fundraiser for any candidate. Ever.

The bomb cashed in on more than 58,000 online pledges made over the past few weeks. Many were for only $50, according to Vijay Boyapati, 29, who left Google for Manchester to support the effort.

At times, Paul and his professional campaign seem downright humbled by the money and the attention they have been getting.

"We're struggling to figure out how to spend the money," Paul said in the Nov. 28 Republican debate, according to a CNN transcript. "This country is in a revolution. They're sick and tired of what they're getting. And I happen to be lucky enough to be part of it."

Fast forward three weeks and the campaign is building its infrastructure across the state, and the nation. The paid staff are spending the money on traditional things.

Back in October, Paul's campaign bought $1.1 million worth of pre-primary New Hampshire television time and another $500,000 worth of radio spots, according to Jesse Benton, Paul's national campaign spokesman.

Yesterday, Paul's official website had a ticker, claiming just shy of $18.5 million in donations since Oct. 1. The campaign plans to buy television spots in Michigan, South Carolina and Nevada, where, as of yesterday, it had radio time but nothing onscreen. Satellite radio ads are running nationwide, said Benton, and the campaign was looking to buy into the media markets of California and Florida, big-delegate states that are voting a little later.

"Our goal is to build momentum through solid finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire," Benton said. "We're going to have the cash to invest in Feb. 5, and give us the staying power that other campaigns won't have."

And then there is the blimp. Because hard-core Paul enthusiasts, like everybody else, can only donate $2,300 to a campaign, Lyman has asked people to buy airtime in yet another nontraditional way. A blimp.

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