I no longer remember where I read this idea:

There have always been people highly attuned to identifying whom they need to flatter to obtain favors. Before modern democracy, when sovereign used to equal king, the sycophants trained in the art of ingratiating themselves with the sovereign were the courtiers whom you could always see surrounding the monarch. Now that the sovereign in most Western countries is "We the People," you can find the same sycophants using the same arts to gain favors from the sovereign---they're the PR consultants, political strategists, and most candidates for public office.