With Gaza, I think this is completely accurate (and even then there's a disconnect between the huge level of outrage and the tiny little concessions to humanity that the Democrats have enacted as a result under that pressure).

With most things, it's not. You can't possibly tell me that sweeping climate change legislation, creating a small amount of support in the tiny minority of people in the US who are aware enough of what's going on to care, but incurring the anger of the incredibly powerful fossil fuel lobby, was done because of cold political calculus. I think it's actually borne out of genuine concern (which makes sense -- these politicians' kids and grandkids have to live on the planet in the future too, and they don't have the Republican luxury of living in a pure fantasy-world where they think somehow that it won't impact them.)