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He also built a home in a stately subdivision where the rules governing property-owners fill 21 typewritten pages. The staunch defender of individual freedom couldn't even choose his own mailbox.

The neighborhood's developer, Jim Skaggs, was also chairman of the Warren County Republican Party. He says Paul was never active in backslapping party politics.

"He never attended a meeting while I was chairman," said Skaggs, who also serves on the Executive Committee of the Kentucky GOP. "You get to know who is and who isn't interested in politics."

Skaggs was surprised five years ago when Paul came "out of nowhere" to win a Senate seat, beating Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's hand-picked candidate. To be sure, 2010 was a good year for Tea Party insurgents. But Paul proved a more savvy politician than Skaggs had given him credit for.

"I under-rated Rand," Skaggs admitted. "He's one of the more intellectual and hardest working people there."

People who knew Paul back home in Texas were not surprised. Mary Jane Smith said it wasn't just Austrian economics that Paul picked up around the family dinner table. He also learned the nuts and bolts of running a political campaign. In fact, she added, Rand Paul was often more interested than his father in the tactics it took to get elected — such as how to use polling data to fine-tune a campaign message.

"Ron would say, 'Oh no, no, no. We're not changing anything. No, no, no, no, no.' But Rand would make it adaptable to what's going on," Smith said. "He is more realistic about the campaigns than his father is."

A view of Lake Jackson, Texas. Judy Baxter via Flickr hide caption

itoggle caption Judy Baxter via Flickr

Supporters argue now that he's been elected, Rand Paul is also more strategic about governing than his quixotic father, whose views were often too extreme for his own Republican party. The younger Paul didn't exhibit much willingness to compromise during the recent Senate debate over government surveillance. But Munisteri believes on most issues, Paul is willing to cut deals, if that's what it takes to move beyond dorm-room dogma into legislation.

"The difference maybe between his dad and Rand is his dad didn't mind being the only vote, 434 to one," Munisteri said. "Many times you cannot get everything you want. The key question is do you move government closer to the direction you want it to be or farther away."

And the direction Rand Paul wants to move the government is still the dramatic downsizing he heard discussed around the kitchen table all those years ago.