Loathe to wade into a political fray on that subject but will just point out that the author was an adherent of the political ideology responsible for the most deaths in the last century. It's hard to believe that the world would not have been better off if a significant number of those ideological adherents were indifferent, even if just as a moderating influence.
Russia was country with super politically apathetic citizens for decades. That attitude was inherited from communism and led to now - heavily authoritarian stayed with no meaningful internal opposition.
Indifferent people are not moderating influence. They easily end up enablers of whoever is the most aggressive one.
It's sort of hinting at a false dichotomy here. You don't have to be partisan to be engaged. There are many nuanced positions and ideas. Perhaps the author lived in a different time or place that doesn't have two main parties acting the way they do today.