Don’t forget, it’s not like Rothbard was in favor of always being completely straightfoward either. But yes, I’d say Gillespie “betrayed the cause” in this case (although, I don’t think he was trying to compromise or seem ambiguous to hide his true leanings…I think he really feels that way…as the article said, he’s a “lifestyle libertarian”.)
I think this is the type of instance where you stand down. You have to wise and pick your battles. This is not a fight that will serve the advancement of liberty. And we don’t know what kind of threats were (probably) made against Ron and/or his family personally on top of that.