The answer is, they know he is not a puppet and therefore, will do anything possible to make sure he is not on the ballot.  They don't want any chance of someone becoming president that they can't control.

Here is the message coming out of Headquarters:

The Committee on Contests recently issued a ruling on the establishment’s challenge to Ron Paul’s delegates and alternates who were duly elected in Maine, and on our challenges to the outright cheating that occurred in Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Oregon (alternates only).

Despite Ron Paul’s supporters being so clearly in the right in these four states, the establishment is so far refusing to rule fairly and seat  duly elected delegates and/or alternates.

Here’s a brief summary of the bogus challenge made by the GOP establishment in Maine, as well as challenges to the cheating that occurred elsewhere:

In Maine, where Ron Paul supporters held a clear majority at the State Convention, the establishment is attempting to unseat the state’s duly elected delegates and alternates – acting like sore losers in the process. The challenge to Ron Paul delegates in Maine is so bogus that Republican Governor Paul LePage – who is one of the few delegates not being challenged by the establishment – has declared he will not attend the Republican National Convention unless Ron Paul’s delegates and alternates who were duly elected are seated;

In Louisiana, establishment “big wigs” used threats, intimidation, and force – literally smashing the bones of one gentleman – to shut out Ron Paul supporters who had a clear majority at the State Convention;

In Oregon, the State Chairman blatantly ignored the votes of the Convention, taking it upon himself to replace the duly elected alternate delegates with an “appointed” slate chocked-full of establishment cronies;

In Mitt Romney’s home state of Massachusetts, corrupt Party officials changed the rules after the game was over – kicking out Ron Paul’s duly elected delegates and alternates and replacing them with their hand-picked cronies.

It is starting to look like the GOP is desperate.  Because Ron Paul has won enough states to be nominated (as the GOP publicly announced)

http://96ws6.newsvine.com/_news/2012/07/19/12835614-rnc-confirms-ron-paul-will-be-up-for-nomination-national-ron-paul-examinercom

 and  of the lack of support for Romney it seems the GOP is trying to backtrack and want to get Paul off the ballot.

I believe they know no one really likes Mitt and are afraid that their hand picked puppet may still be replaced by someone who they will be unable to control.  It is not just the GOP either.  The powers that be in general want to keep the current puppet or make sure the new puppet is just as good.  Mitt fits the bill.   Romney and Obama are both owned by the same people 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWBzUuo9_eo

(along with other banks, the military industrial complex and Pharmaceutical companies)

and these people will continue to do everything possible to obstruct freedom and keep Ron Paul off the ballot.   They don't even want a SLIM chance of a president that won't bow to their wishes.