Mods have the power to unflag these but don't, usually because they don't see these threads (though, if they really wanted to they could view the 'active' page). It's interesting to see what you can and can not talk about on HN, local US politics (esp. California) is fine, global possibly world changing things are not.
No. You're projecting. You're one of those types that sees politics in everything--that wants politics in everything. Some of us, me included, flag political stories not because of our beliefs but because we'd rather HN not become Reddit, or the countless other spaces that have been perniciously and intentionally invaded by "always politics, all the time" people.
Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, or celebrities, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic.