Meaning when the people start to change their mind on an issue, either a softening of attitude or a moral panic which demands a government response, political leaders will take charge and take the credit for what happens next. (They will not, however, ever take the blame when things go wrong.)

When I began paying attention to politics at about the age of 13, no reputable politician would touch the war on drugs. During presidential elections, it was not a campaign issue, because it was not something to be questioned. It was an inherency, not an object for debate. Naturally, libertarians and oddities of the right and left would vehemently oppose this life-destroying public policy. But that was all until just a few years ago.