Surely there are adversaries so fearsome that the noble thing is to cut ties and avoid collateral damage, but a mob of angry partisans on the internet shouldn't

Surely there are adversaries so fearsome that the noble thing is to cut ties and avoid collateral damage, but a mob of angry partisans on the internet shouldn't be one of them. To do that would mean giving up on civil political disagreement and sets a terrible precedent. I don't think any good work is being undone here but perhaps you could say some political capital is being spent defending the free and open exchange of ideas.