Former Google Employee Engineers NH Ground Campaign For Ron Paul

The following piece was produced by HuffPost's OffTheBus.

Following a day of campaigning in New Hampshire, Ron Paul addressed supporters in Manchester at Murphy's Taproom on Saturday night. He may have met a few undecided voters, but the bulk of the crowd was composed of Paul supporters who had spent the day knocking on doors for their favorite congressman. Paul expressed amazement at how many volunteers had flocked to New Hampshire from across the country to spread his message in the run-up to New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.

"You are the campaign; I have joined your revolution; thank you for having me," he concluded before giving way to a chorus of cheers and chants.

How is Paul getting so many activists to New Hampshire? It's simple -- he isn't.

The innovator behind the activist relocation program known as "Operation Live Free or Die" is not an employee of the campaign; Vijay Boyapati is just a bright, motivated guy who decided to get involved.

Until two weeks ago, Boyapati was an engineer at Google. Now he's organizing activists all over the country and bringing them to the "Live Free or Die" state to assist with the Paul campaign. For Boyapati, the saga began in July when he flew from Seattle to California to hear Paul speak at Google Headquarters.

Now the Australian-born Boyapati is braving the cold New Hampshire winter and urging others to do the same. According the the website, 405 activists are in New Hampshire or on their way. The goal is to recruit 1000, and progress has been steady.

"They're all converging on New Hampshire now," Boyapati observed with a smile.

Trevor Lyman met Paul for the first time Saturday evening, a few weeks after the November 5, V for Vendetta-inspired "Money Bomb" he organized raked in $4.3 million for the campaign from over 38,000 contributors.

Lyman, a former music promoter, is now a resident of Manchester, and he's promoting a fundraiser he says will exceed the last. Dec. 16 is known to revolutionary-era historians as the date of the Boston Tea Party, and now it's also being peddled as a better than average day to contribute to the Paul campaign.

Lyman says 23,000 individuals have already pledged at his newest website, TeaParty07.com, that they will donate to Paul's campaign on Dec. 16. "I think we'll definitely beat the $4.3 million, and beyond that I really don't know," he said.

One might assume that Boyapati and Lyman are long-time disciples of Dr. Paul, but neither was aware of the Congressman until this year.

Lyman, a non-voter, was initially spurred into action by his disdain for the newly-elected Democratic majority in Congress. Lyman said Democrats were elected to end the war, but instead they shirked their responsibility and went along with a plan which escalated the conflict. When Lyman got wind of Paul on the internet, he took a deeper look and liked what he saw. "Here's a guy who voted against the war all the way through, and also was very consistent in the way that he voted at all times," he explained.

Boyapati said his initial exposure to Paul was at the first Republican debate, which left him amazed. His understanding of the system had been that no politician could survive in Washington without being corrupted by special interests. To Boyapati, Paul was instantly and obviously different. "When I found him, I wanted to do everything I could to support him," he explained.

Contrasting Paul with candidates who have taken an anti-war position only after voters began demanding it, Boyapati said he admired the Texas Congressman for his foresight in opposing the Iraq invasion all along. "He knew why it was wrong," Boyapati said, "and to have the courage to stand up in front of Congress and say why it was wrong before it started was a really amazing thing -- there were very few people who did that."

Born and raised in Australia, Boyapati moved to the U.S. seven years ago and last year took the oath of citizenship. "I became a citizen not because I was trying to escape war or destitution or anything like that, because I came from Australia," he explained. "I became a citizen because I believe in the principles that the U.S. was founded on, and those principles are lost today, but they're not forgotten."

Comments

[Pdubya]

the latest on drudge report:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_GADQv3vKs

paid shills to marginalize ron paul supporters (again). in san fransisco

romney stacked the straw polls in st petersberg last week. story at st pete times.

[ColoradoDan]

Ron Paul. The finest candidate by miles as his political code has always been the Constitution and the Law. The GOP has but one Gem.

All the other candidates, especially the super hyped front runners, are owned and will follow the money, and of course, screw the citizens.

Paul is the ONLY Statesman ... he makes major sense every time he speaks. Imagine America returning to being for the People once again.

Pauls record is simply amazing. He has not been corrupted and is clear and precise on all issues. He simply backs the Constitution that the rest wish to bury,

[Pdubya]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaxdUPNYj2s


This man is REAL, PRINCIPLED, and LOVES our Country and WE THE PEOPLE.

change parties and VOTE FOR HIM, PLEASE!

we can not have a neocon running against another plutocratic Democrat!

blue dog democrat for ron paul
(inspired, not hired)

[StarsAndBars]

what a story. ron paul supporters are the best.

[cognate]

The rEVOLution is here!

[letsmakesense]

Looks like we have a political movement developing. Movements create their own energy.
Movements spread. Movements do not need insiders, ad men or talking points. Movements thrive on honesty.
Compare Paul's political movement with the campaigns of the top tier corporate media selected candidates and its easy to see why the globalists are afraid.
Go Ron Paul

[Pdubya]

p.s. Matt, thanks for keeping on top of things.

We fellow citizens sure do appreciate it.

peace

[Xrepug]

True foot soldiers in the war on corruption.