Bill Maher's riff on right wing heroes is interesting:
Why does the right wing always create these "average Joe" heroes? And why doesn't the left do it too?
I think the difference is that average lefties figure that life is short and it's not worth it to take on right wingers. Think about what happened to Sandra Fluke with major media figures calling her a slut and a whore. Maybe there are just more average folks who enjoy that sort of fight on the right.