A recent Time Magazine article by executive vice president of the Cato Institute David Boaz confirms what we in the liberty movement have known for some time: libertarian ideas are gaining traction faster than those of any other ideology. Americans are questioning that which is presented by the media as a merely “two-sided” debate, having seen many of the same failures from consecutive presidents, one from each major political party.

Despite campaigning on many contrasting ideas, both President Bush and President Obama enacted much of the same agenda once they reached the White House.

In 2000, Bush campaigned on “small government” conservatism and during his presidency delivered one of the largest tax cuts in American history. However, he also greatly increased both the deficit and the size of government with No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D and TARP.

In 2008, Obama campaigned on reducing the role of an over-reaching executive, restoring civil liberties and ending unnecessary military intervention. In the time since he has become President, he has instead attempted to act without Congress seemingly as often as possible, increased the size and scope of surveillance programs and bombed more countries than did Bush.

Boaz points to leadership by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) as a prime reason that libertarian principles are getting a closer look. While as many as 44% of Americans label themselves as “socially liberal” and “economically conservative,” there is the distinct possibility that they thought such a combination not tenable in today’s polarizing political environment. However, with those like Sen. Paul perhaps finally putting a face on such an ideology, Americans can more easily identify just what it means to be libertarian.

Libertarianism first began to resonate in the modern era in 2008 with the presidential campaign of former Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX). Despite winning no primaries and carrying less than 6% of the Republican electorate, Paul was able to mobilize voters and bring attention to new issues in a way done by few other candidates. In 2012, Paul ran again, nearly doubling his vote share.

Perhaps most importantly, Paul’s campaigns were about ideas. With the understanding that he was likely not going to fare well electorally, Paul was willing to endure so that the seeds of liberty may be planted for future generations. In addition to his son, Paul also helped to inspire and make room for new voices in the political process like Congressman Justin Amash (R-MI) and Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), along with dozens of others. It seems that as the Republican Party becomes newer and younger, it also becomes more libertarian. This is in no small part thanks to Ron Paul’s efforts.

Another reason for the rise of libertarianism in modern times is merely that the issues have become clearer, and neither of the parties have shown themselves to be consistently reliable on any of those issues. Additionally, younger voters tend to have stances on issues that do not place them neatly within the infrastructure of either party. However, their positions tend to be on the side of more personal liberty and less government intrusion, whether it is on the topic of gay marriage, marijuana or NSA spying.

It was once famously said by Gandhi that, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” We in the liberty movement were ignored by the national media in 2012. In the time since then, we have long endured our beliefs being mocked and laughed at. Now, in 2015, we have had war declared upon us by the media, as well as both the right and left of the political spectrum.

We shall see what happens in 2016, but no matter if Sen. Paul is elected or not, we can see now that we are beginning to achieve victory where it matters: in the hearts and minds of the American people.

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