That's unfair. "The left" generally is tolerant of other viewpoints. Don't be confused to believe the loudest people on RIU represent "the left". They don't. Tolerating different viewpoints is fundamental to being progressive; if you don't, you're not progressive. This relatively new political tactic of 21st century McCarthyism is just another way of condemning the person instead of addressing the policy. Progressive populism is.. popular. Imagine that. To combat that, instead of addressing the points being made, establishment Democrats and propagandists have chosen to try to expose the things they believe will be most damning to their political opponents, personally. Things like their sexual interests, something they may have said in the past they might not even agree with today, their criminal history, or their personal, physical, or financial shortcomings.. You know, the same things the evangelical right use as moral purity tests for Republican candidates. This is as far from progressive, or left, as you can get. These people are extremists, just like the religious right.