AAQ> Ok, so then claim your position and defend it: your position is not about protecting learners, but about anyone from your community joining.
YYA> That is my position, and in practice that is the (not publicly stated) position of the vast majority of Gedolei Yisroel.
.. . ??? ???? ?????
what you are saying sounds like a plausible explanation. Maybe it is my (and whoever else is telling me that) wishful thinking that some rabonim would be willing to compromise. You do mention that they might compromise on OTDs, you know that could be a first step.
And if your theory is correct, and public statements of “defending Torah” are misleading “reshayim”, this seems very confounding. You see, if you are fighting some reshayim who value, say, money, then you can mislead them to protect Torah by discussing money matters. Here, according to you, in an attempt to protect the “kahal”, the claim is being made that protecting only Torah. That is, you presume that the “reshayim” will be attracted to that claim, that they respect the “Torah learning” claim. That is a very twisted situation. And, I am afraid, this might explain hostility that arises in opposition such dishonest claims.
Maybe it does not even matter whether your explanation is correct or not, what is important is moris ayn – that many people presume that they are being misled by these statements. Maybe, the rational political argument in your community is that this negative effect is a price to pay for the political benefits they bring. For the rest of the Torah community (my impression), this is just the negative effect on the whole klal Yisroel.