They do seem to like to present their “arguments” in forums where they will not be challenged.
I assert that this is why they were so mad at Juan Williams about serving up the low hanging curveball for Newt to hit out of the park.
It’s not that he was making a “softer” argument than any of them ever do, it’s just that he did so in a forum where the assertion could be challenged.
Among those tools is the science of group dynamics, which can take several forms. One of the better-known ones is the "Delphi Technique" - a dishonest use of the discussion forum where a person claiming to be an independent "facilitator" is really an interested party who subtly directs like-minded group members against dissidents.
Another is the employment of unearned guilt as a weapon of shame in a public setting. If you have a Jewish mother like I do, you'll understand that one implicitly.
Juan Williams, for his part, is viewed by many on the Left as a traitor simply because he works at FOX News, regardless of the fact that he is most frequently a doctrinaire liberal (albeit one who occasionally displays a flash of insight and logic).