It sort of is, and the only partial remedy for this situation is for the NPCs to suffer as a clear and direct result of the leadership they support.

Unfortunately I do agree that letting that suffering go to the extent that it really needs to in order to sink in (i.e. a couple years under a fully realized communist dictatorship might do it) isn't really feasible if there's a plan, and as long as we have "freedom of the press", this cycle will repeat even in the best case scenario I imagine.