First, despite my dis-like of what I term "free marketers" I passionately believe in real. free markets.  In fact, I beleive in free markets so much that I think we should try them some day.  I use the "free market" notation to mark my disdain for the distortion of language that has gone on in economics.

Regarding the "straw man" charge there is a bit of truth to what you are saying in that rarely would one person exhibit all of the characteristics I describe.  But I do stand by the general charge that when diagnosing any economic problem the perscription is almost always the same.  When the airlines are in bankruptcy, the problem is always diagnosed as too high wages for the pilots and mechanics.  Never is the problem the amount of rent flowing to bondholders or the exhorbinate payouts to the executives (also mainly economic rent).  We never hear for a call to completely liquidate the disfunctional airlines.  The perscription for any developing country is almost always to sell off its natural resources in a "fire sale" to foreign investors.  The story goes on and on with never a mention of economic rent or the privileges from which rent flows.

You stated:

there is a requirement for a more intellectually solid argument than you provide.

I thought I was clear that this posting was just a beginning framework for how we might strucutre a Liberal/Left narrative.  Of course there is a huge amount of work to be done to build out the intellectual rigor needed.  Personally I am working with GIS tools to build real estate valuation models. I will share some of that in future diaries. There are many other areas in need of similar valuation/modeling work (pollution, non-renewables, patents....).