Those two realities utterly destroy your argument, since the site can now be a unilateral extension of Jim Robinson's values and either survive or fail on its own merits, irrespective of the marketplace. While a failure may be a plebiscite on those values, it does not cause Jim Robinson any hardship. Neither does the site's continuation carry any benefit, especially if it runs counter to Jim's own beliefs.
Save your laments for yourself. It is YOUR comprehension that is coming up sadly short.
I don't assume that at all- FR need not continue any more than Ford needs to continue to sell cars. If FR folds, something else will pop up.
Free Republic is NOTHING like a corporation selling a product or service
Why not? An idea or ideology is no different than a car or washing machine- if you can't get enough people to buy it, it's a failure. If Jim Rob can't get enough people to agree with his viewpoints to such an extent that they're willing to donate to FR, his viewpoints and this site are a failure.
While a failure may be a plebiscite on those values, it does not cause Jim Robinson any hardship
Ummm.... so, why does he bother with this site, then? If FR serves no purpose to JR, whether material, spiritual or intellectual, why spend so much effort on it?
Neither does the site's continuation carry any benefit, especially if it runs counter to Jim's own beliefs.
This statement makes no sense. Why would anyone put so much effort into something like this if itheld no benefit to them?
No, I think you miss the symbiotic nature of FR and the Freeper community. Neither can survive as an entity without the other.