The antiwar sentiment is probably the single greatest animator of Paul’s supporters. The fiscal austerity stuff is probably the least. His supporters are not very conservative nor Republican overall. There’s never been any doubt that he would take more votes away from Obama than from Romney. As far as youth is concerned, most of them are looking for the “cool,” “hip” factor above any policy. And Ron Paul as the anti-establishment candidate has all that energy this year while Obama, the previous record holder for hipness in a presidential candidate, has lost it almost completely.
I wonder if Bam Bam ever imagined a day when Ron Paul would be considered cooler than him :-)