I live on the coast.
If I protest the construction of a beachside hotel by Marriott on the basis that it will have proven negative effects on the coastline, I am lauded as an environmentalist.
If I protest the construction of an equally-sized low-income housing development for the same environmental reasons, I am scorned as a NIMBY.
The persistence of such a double standard points to one of the current failings in American politics: whether we realize it or not, we are more comfortable resorting to the ad hominem than addressing the argument.
The Pacific Bull Moose 
Who is doing the lauding and the scorning? What is the size of their respective megaphones? Does either the lauding or the scorning come from anyone with the democratically-assigned power to *do anything* about it?
This supposed uncovering of ad hominem reads a lot like a strawman, given that it’s offered almost entirely without context.