If I remember correctly, it was in 1979 (during the oil crisis, when the national speed limit was reduced to 55). While the speed limit was not the main focus, the oil crisis (and resulting economic crisis) was a huge political scandal. The price controls put on oil imports by Richard Nixon indirectly led to Jimmy Carter not being elected for a second term. Ronald Reagan campaigned partially on the platform of removing the "windfall tax" that Carter had implemented to prevent the oil distributors from artificially raising the price of gas at the pumps. Reagan said "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." Reagan won.

How does this relate to today? "No one" is losing their job or their house or their property because of the RIAA/MPAA. I put "no one" in quotes because obviously people are, just not the voting block at large. Should it be a campaign issue like oil was in 1973-1979? I think so. But we'd never see that until the largest voting group in the country decided it should be, and since the Internet generation still has 40 years to go until they reach senior citizen status, we're a long way out from that day.