Intellectual elites can be liberal, conservative, radical, or apparently apolitical.
But this has nothing to do with Vance. I don't know. Not one of the quoted critics produces any reasoned critique. I think you're interpretation is misguided. It would be very easy to produce multuple instances when Boddissey is quoted and or revered by protagonists who are explicitly good, moral, intelligent whatever u wish to call it - against this one which i think anyway is at least ambiguous.