Excellent analysis, WoC.
One of the rare(!) fill-in hosts, Peter Wisebech (sp) likened the left-liberal tactics to the dialectic.
Start with two opposing views. The left ignores the issue and screams abusive language; the right immediately defends against the bogus charges. In trying to disprove the lies the right "compromises" (caves?) mostly evidenced by the right abandoning its original stance. By way of illustration, the left got 90% and the right got 10% -- No more! Er.. except for a couple here and there. . .
The Trent Lott syndrome, for a recent (an now rare, thank goodness) example?