There is no doubt a political concensus that forms here, but this is not an active arm of the Republican party.
I'll give you an example. Probably 99% of the regulars at FR think Tom Davis (R) of Northern Virginia is a mind-numbed, quasi-Liberal RINO. And, he is, of course, but if his opponent is a Democrat I assure you that Tom is the least of our worries so I will probably campaign for him.
Now that doesn't mean I agree with him; just that his opponent will be a sniveling little hateful piece of garbage who should be exiled to an isolated frozen piece of real estate than to take a chance of him or her being in Congress.
And that's not even partisan.
I think you have a good argument there, and certainly it is one that I would make if I were representing FR in a battle over this issue.
But we have both been around long enough to know that having the better argument is not often the key to winning in highly politicized process and regulatory actions.
The “Fairness Doctrine” is an example. It is blatantly unconstitutional and wrong-headed, but that doesn’t mean its passage isn’t a threat if the left happens to be in political power.