It’s just as true today. Probably even more so. In the age of confrontation based television the people who can actually stay calm are the ones that influence people. The shout down might be entertaining for the people that agree with you, but it doesn’t sway the masses. Impressing the choir doesn’t get you anything... well OK maybe some ratings. But if you want to effect change you’ve got to talk to (talk not shout, and to not at) the mushy middle that really decide how this country is going to do stuff.
I and the facts disagree. Plenty of calm voices are ignored every election and the liberal screeching wins the day. That’s a (recent) historical reality.
The hysterical blogs get the hits. The things they discuss are made mainstream. The MSNBC types policies are now lay while the more Fox positions are benched time and time again. And considering Fox has orders of magnitude more viewers, it shows whose influence and argument style holds actual on the ground sway. Facts no longer matter. Emotion is the new reality.