/leftypol/ imo was
I've been on 8chan /pol/ in september 2014 (yes even before the full goobergate ban on 4chan) and it was a surprisingly balanced group of fringes – lolberts, dork enlightenment, stormfags, and eventual /leftypol/ were pretty balanced. Were it not for that month, I would probably never have taken up posting on 8chan, and the insufferable avatar known as "slovborg" that developed on 8chan's /int/ board would not exist today. I would merely be another lurker that occasionally effortpoasts.
Dork enlightenment got bullied off by low effort shitposting, and /leftypol/ surrendered and decided they want to have a safespace where their views can't be challenged.
This was the turning point that cemented the political fate of 8/pol/. December mod selection which turned everything into a railroaded astroturf was just the final nail in the coffin.
This is why I have a strongly negative opinion of /leftypol/. Their surrender and retreat into a safespace spelled the downfall of 8chan (and myself).