Did Goldwater really change all that much? I think even back in the 60s, he had a pretty strong libertarian streak.
I strongly favored Barry Goldwater in 1964 because of his support for the Tenth Amendment and his pro-military, anti-communist stance. He certainly advocated a smaller government and, in fact, called for defunding the United Nations.
What did trouble me later about Goldwater is how he engaged in political combat against the so-called Christian Right. He never seemed to fully embrace the bedrock Christian values upon which America was built. Still, he gave us this immortal line which I rank up there with the words of Patrick Henry's "...liberty or death" proclamation:
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.