"The left" is a useless term, and your entire post is based on that faulty premise – as a result, it adds no real value to this discussion.
There is no "the left". This is a shibboleth that you have created.
There is no "the left". This is a shibboleth that you have created.
He did use the "the left" in a kind of shibboleth-y way, but I think you actually mean "straw man" here.