The problem is Paul is not a conservative, he is a libertarian. There really is a big difference.
Conservatives = low domestic/entitlement spending, high defense spending/hawkish foreign policy.
Liberals - high domestic/entitlement spending, low defense spending/dovish foreign policy
Libertarian = low domestic/entitlement spending, low defense spending/dovish foreign policy.
Conservatives/Republicans are generally going to like libertarian domestic economic policy and hate the libertarian defense policy and dovish foreign policy. Liberals/Democrats are generally going to like the libertarian defense spending and dovish foreign policy and hate the libertarian domestic economic policy.
While these are obviously generalities, they basically hold true. Paul is simply not a conservative. Paul attracts sort of the extremes on both sides - conservatives that want nearly no domestic spending and liberals who want nearly no defense spending and a dovish foreign policy.
There is probably somewhat more sympathy for Paul among conservatives simply because those of us on the right distrust government more than those on the left. Still, conservatives support certain things government does - and that includes a large and powerful military and an hawkish foreign policy that aggressively defends our interests and allies. This dynamic simply is not going to change when it comes to libertarians trying to win elections. Paul won't be the nominee, because the bulk of Republican/conservative primary voters will not vote for a libertarian. Paul can offset this some with crossover voters, but it will never be enough to actually win a GOP nomination.
Funny, I always thought that conservatives were different than republicans ....
Conservatives arent a monolith. There are plenty of conservatives who dont want a hawkish foreign policy with high defense spending. Modern conservatism came from classical liberalism, which was not in favor of multiple foreign entanglements, which we are in now.
And you cant cut the government size without cutting defense spending. Right now, 70% of the government spending is between defense, Medicare, Social Security, and the interest. We dont need presence in 100 countries.
What passes today for conservatism is not what conservatism was in the early part of the 20th century. In reality, Ron Paul is the “conservative,” while many conservatives today are something different.