I too remember the soapbox and people did behave with contempt and became very inflammatory in their responses. So while I can see why the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction as to avoid all politics, I also think it more than a bit unrealistic to mandate a complete avoidance of the subject.
As a further note, the site did lose some very good authors because they were made to feel unwelcome and that is beyond sad. Virulent attacks are not good anywhere and usually accomplish little. I don't advocate any return to the non-moderated soapbox but Adam raises some very valid points.
As an aside, political jokes have their place but repeatedly demeaning public figures and vilifying them has not helped public discourse. In the process, the 'government' has become the source of all problems rather than a source for fixing problems beyond the scope of individuals or private companies.
Finally, Zombie makes an interesting point as well. People who identify strongly with a political party are more apt to spout the party line or "spin" as it is called. Unfortunately, in the US, the two major political parties regard the other with so much contempt, that compromise has become a dirty word. As a result we have gridlock.