Agreed. While I don't like to be dismissive of concerns, the "threat to our democracy" claim always feels hyperbolic.

On the note of people praising when their team does something, I always try my best to remind people of a simple litmus test for policy: remember that the other team will have the same policy that they can use when they're in power - are you still okay with it? If the answer is "no", then it's a bad policy.