I think probably part of the reason it's gotten the foothold that it has is that very few people have heard much about it other than tracking mad cow. And, unfortunately, those of us (me included) that heard about this some time back thought that no one in their right mind, even politicians, would try to implement something like this. There has been a concerted effort on the part of someone/something to make sure none of the steps implemented so far have hit the news.
I think you're right. They're trying to fly it in under the radar. But that's gonna change if I have anything to say about it.