A group of Ron Paul supporters hatched a plan several weeks ago to raise $10 million in support for Paul's campaign via the Internet, and they are calling it a "Money Bomb."

Ba-Da-Boom!

While claiming not to be responsible for the "bombing," Paul's camp has certainly not lessened enthusiasm with a set of red numbers on their website that spin upward to show his total raised with every refresh click. Another site not formally affiliated with the campaign has set up a graph showing Paul's ascending contributions since midnight.

One Paul supporter said the campaign had sent out no emails about the matter, but that it had sprouted organically on one of the many pro-Paul sites not affiliated with the campaign.

"The idea came up at www.ronpaulforums.com about 3-4 weeks ago to have a "money bomb" today," said this backer. "The idea was to get 100,000 people to donate $100 (for $10 million). That was a little aggressive, of course."

Still, that Paul can bring in nearly $2 million in about 12 hours attests to both his intense online support and the great fundraising possibilities that exist on the Web.

According to this site the total raised as of 8 PM Eastern on Monday - Just over $3.2 million (click graph below to enlarge).

UPDATE: The one day total was $3.5 million (link).

Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said the effort began independently about two months ago at the hands of Paul's backers. He said Paul picked up on the movement, mentioning in it speeches and interviews.

"It's been kind of building up virally," Benton said.

The $3.5 million, he said, represented online contributions from more than 22,000 donors.

UPDATE II: Shortly after midnight Eastern Time the New York Times is reporting the total as over $4 million:

Historians and British schoolchildren remember Guy Fawkes as the Roman Catholic, anti-Protestant rebel who on Nov. 5, 1605, tried to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Parliament. Supporters of the Republican primary campaign of the libertarian Representative Ron Paul may remember Fawkes as a wildly successful fund-raising gimmick.

On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day -- approaching what the campaign raised in the entire last quarter -- through a Web site called ThisNovember5th.com, a reference to the day the British commemorate the thwarted bombing.