Elected officials were reacting to, not leading, antibusing constituents.

Evidence

The developments during the volatile winter of 1970 demonstrated that from the local to the national level, political leaders were following rather than directing their organized and outraged middle-class constituents. — Matthew D. Lassiter, The Suburban Origins of “Color-Blind”…, 69

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Supports the pattern in ‘Complaints About Immodesty Go Way Back’ of political elites rebranding ideology under constituent pressure — here segregationist sentiment is channeled into procedural/legal opposition to busing rather than overt racism.
• XREF: connects to: Unfocused public discontent gives politicians no incentive to act on it. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2186; Anti-busing activists turned electoral pressure against elected officials over legal appeals. — Matthew D. Lassiter, The Suburban Origins of “Color-Blind”…, 68