I’m not so sure I agree with you. I understand what you’re saying, but, not sure I agree. People are so thoroughly disgusted and angry with ALL of the mealy-mouthed, compromising, “political whores” in D.C., that the “firebrand” label might be a great advantage.
It’s like calling him a bomb-thrower, as someone else just did. The media twits don’t know what to make of him, so they put him in some kind of cartoon stereotype. Like when they call an argument between two women a “catfight.” They almost certainly are missing what is actually being said. In fact, it’s probably a way of purposely missing what is being said.