During the latter days of President George W. Bush’s administration, and throughout most of President Barack Obama’s, the Republican Party re-discovered a sense of civil libertarianism that would have pleased former Sens. Robert Taft, R-Ohio, or Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz.

Spearheaded by former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and his son, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the party seemed to have seen the light from its neoconservative misadventures in foreign policy abroad and invasive domestic security measures such as The USA Patriot Act.