If we didn’t flag a bunch of them, that’s all there would be. I like my HN with a side of politics, not the other way around.

Exactly. There are thousands of other venues to share political news. Go there.

I think the OP's question is what about when the story, while involving politics, is more about technology than anything else? I can see flagging it on the principle that even mildly political tech stories bring out the political rhetoric in the comments... is that a principle among the moderation (I would strongly support that if it is)?