In order to understand the response to the Coronavirus and how much has changed about it since Spring, one must first understand the concept of the "Overton Window."
Named for Joseph P. Overton, the Mackinac Center vice president who first postulated it is described as "a model for understanding how ideas in society change over time and influence politics. The core concept is that politicians are limited in what policy ideas they can support — they generally only pursue policies that are widely accepted throughout society as legitimate policy options. These policies lie inside the Overton Window. Other policy ideas exist, but politicians risk losing popular support if they champion these ideas. These policies lie outside the Overton Window.
"But the Overton Window can both shift and expand, either increasing or shrinking the number of ideas politicians can support without unduly risking their electoral support. Sometimes politicians can move the Overton Window themselves by courageously endorsing a policy lying outside the window, but this is rare. More often, the window moves based on a much more complex and dynamic phenomenon, one that is not easily controlled from on high: the slow evolution of societal values and norms."
In series of tweets, Breitbart News author John Hayward brilliantly explained how the Overton Window regarding Coronavirus policy has shifted radically in just a few short months: