It is an insular world, but one which is of great importance.
I'm also a long time member of a Reform temple. I've recently been spending some time trying to figure out how Reform Judaism came to be (what I now consider) part of the "Left," as that whole situation aggravates me more than a little. Nobody seems to want to discuss it much.
Reform Judaism was always liberal. It sought to create a Judaism devoid of its history and the Talmud, one acceptable to modern Europe. Without a base and appealing to the left from its start, the drift to the left was inevitable.
Reform Judaism has as its guiding principle "autonomy of the individual," a concept which, as far as I'm concerned, cannot coexist with socialism or any variation on it (except, of course, in theory). Their use of the concept of autonomy of the individual, instead of encouraging individual freedom and responsibility, seems to be responsible for allowing Reform Judaism to abandon, whenever it suits a purpose (such as fitting in to European society?) much of traditional Judaism.
And "autonomy of the individual" or not, Rabbis Yoffie and Saperstein continue to speak publicly in very specific and dogmatic terms on behalf of all of us (much to my anger). Speaking of whom, I regard those guys as not being far from being actual socialists. Do you know anything about those two.