So, is it more about that he has loser friends than about what he writes? And by losers, I mean Greens.
Perhaps so, to some extent: you may like it or not, but guilt by association is a successful political tactic. But the problem is made even worse by the fact that his writings occasionally support the Greens' nasty attitudes.
To take the analogy even further, imagine a respected scientist writing approvingly about "deep ecologists" and "Soylent Greens", who believe in the primacy of natural wilderness, and argue that human societies are inherently evil and inimical to true happiness, excepting "naturally co-evolved" bands and ...
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.