You can see this exemplified in their positions on abortion. At first, when they only controlled some states, they were very emphatic that abortion should be a per-state issue and always should have been one - because this would allow them to at least illegalize it in some states rather than none. Once they controlled the whole country, they were very emphatic that it should be a country-wide issue and always should have been one - because this would allow them to illegalize it in all states rather than some.