All of the above explanations apply, especially Dr. Paul's opposition to the Federal Reserve Bank. There's a reason Ben Bernanke is so smug - his job is literally untouchable. But behind it all is the fact that Ron Paul is an outsider. He owes nothing to his fellow Republicans, their corporate sponsors, their campaign contributors, nothing. This scares insiders that want predictability in a candidate. They want to know who will get cabinet offices, ambassadorships, appontments to the bench, etc., etc., and they want to be sure that all other favors will be repaid in full as well. Employees of the media may be liberals, but their employers (and the corporate sponsors) expect a return on every investment.