The Patriot Act had a timer built in years, not days. That, coupled with foreign intrigue that kept the velocity of interest ongoing (and endless threats -some valid, some not- from said foreign actors) made extending the PA easier for a mostly neo-conservative foreign policy establishment.
It also started expiring (in sections) in 2005, with more and more being sunset through the last 2020 window. I'm not actually sure how many of it's provisions still stand, but they are a much smaller subset than the massive umbrella of powers initially approved in 2001.
It's a harder sell with a small group of noisy Peterbilt drivers in a 30 day window.
