Is the Internet rewriting the rules of political campaigning?

At the intersection of the Internet and politics, presidential candidate Ron Paul's supporters are rewriting the rules of political campaigns. NOW explores how the Texas congressman and his supporters are using the Internet to attract voters - and massive contributions - from across the political spectrum. Supporters include anti-war progressives, anti-tax libertarians, civil libertarians and even some white supremacists. The common theme is anger over where the country is heading.

"Ron Paul's campaign is so extraordinary to many of us because even while it was getting massive online traffic, you'd be lucky to get a whisper of his campaign in a lot of media outlets," says Zephyr Teachout, Howard Dean's former online organizer and now a Duke University professor.

That anonymity changed when, on November 5, 2007, Paul's campaign raised a record-breaking $4.2 million - even though many of his followers have little political activism experience and were acting online without the help of Paul's official campaign.

"I think the message should be the only thing that counts, but you can't get the message out without the money," Paul tells NOW.

Can viral energy and passion in the virtual world translate into real world votes?

See a special sneak preview of this show at http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/350 . Starting Friday, December 14, 2007, NOW Online also will feature an extended web-exclusive interview with Congressman Paul.