It's exactly this. Congress in front of cameras is far, far different than Congress behind closed doors. The thing people sort of gloss over for politicians i

It's exactly this. Congress in front of cameras is far, far different than Congress behind closed doors. The thing people sort of gloss over for politicians is the Cantor Effect: These guys normally actually need to get re-elected, or elected in higher offices. They have to appease their base, even if that means asking stupid questions they already know the answers to. FDR had a saying which I'm probably misquoting, "I like your idea, it's the right thing to do. I want to do it. Now go make me do it." You make politicians do stuff by convincing their base of support.