Mmmmmmmmmm...get your point, but have a little quibble. Some people are important because what they have to say is important. Goldberg and others fall into that category. Others are important because of how much they influence people.
An example I gave to students in Art class was this: "How many of you are familiar with Picasso's painting, Guernica?" Usually no hands go up. Sometimes one will. I then explain to them that this painting is considered on of his masterpieces on the horrors of war; it is one of his most important paintings, and is worth millions of dollars." I then ask them, "How many of you remember when Bambi's mother died?" Every hand shoots up. I then ask, "how much effect has one of the most important paintings by one of the most important artists of the twentieth century had on the debate about war?" The answer is obviously none. "Has anyone ever had a debate on hunting without either hearing or saying the phrase, 'you just want to go shoot Bambi's mother!'"
Goldberg may influence the intellectuals, but Homer influences the masses. Ignore what the masses are paying attention to at your own peril.