An abuse which he also says in said post should be allowed as a mechanism to vent (albeit with the implemented negative consequences). Again, what's now changed that this formerly allowed venting mechanism is no longer to be allowed?

Slightly advocatus diaboli here, but how do you know any given chunk of downvoting is indiscriminate? How do you know they don't think that the nodes in question truly don't merit the downvote? There's the existing penalties for such behavior and they're still willing to plink things doesn't that mean that they truly think they're worthy of the reputational plink? I'm sure there's not a time or seven that in the past I've gone and looked at a poster's past output and found real junk in there that I've then --'d because it's worthy of it (with the full knowledge what that's doing to my fake internet points).

An obvious automated plinking of everything from a singular poster done in one swell foop? Yes, that I could see sanctioning. But beyond that it feels like attempting to mind read and assign intent that you can't ensure is there.