[protomyth]

"I don't think it's really useful to question people's motives, rather than just considering their arguments."

In an ideal world the argument should stand alone, but I find people's motives to be worth considering. Not for the usual you'll find in the media like looking for the corrupt or using those motives to dismiss their arguments. I find how people come to their beliefs to be really interesting. I can learn from the path they took even if I find the result to be broken. The danger is admiring the path and supporting the broken argument.

As to the politics. Two people interacting means that you will have politics. Humans have conflicts from the battlefield to the soapbox to the pulpit to the lecture hall.