Yup. By no means a developer, but I Python was the first programming language I learned and I always felt it was my native language. I was happy to stick around with 2.7 for as long as it was there, but I guess this is the motivation I needed to learn Ruby or Haskell. :-(
I don't know if the author was intending to be hyperbolic -- I for one prefer Python 2's print. I would've preferred keeping print the way it was and using a new keyword for the new functionality.
The change in the print statement was also what put me off from Python 3 for a long while. But back then there where also no big benefits to be had from moving to 3. Nowadays I even prefer the print function as it makes it easer to convert to log functions.
I still don't see why the print function justifies trying to keep the language alive. You don't prefer that print act as a function and not a keyword? Maybe you don't, but is the change really not worth giving up 2?