Thanks for the explanation. Is it only possible for people to [vouch] a submission once it is dead? If not, then it seems like posts can get caught in purgatory — not flagged enough to be dead (and therefore vouchable), but not alive enough to be seen anywhere.

In this case, it seems a reasonable compromise would be to keep the post on /ask, but let it fall off of the main front page. This is a respectful discussion about HN/moderation, and that seems appropriate for Ask.