When this first started, I also voiced my concerns about the 'thumbs' system. I was afraid that it would become a popularity contest; a little like high school, where we had the popular group ... and the rest of us.
If you, or your position in general, are disliked, you get a lot of thumbs down, no matter what you are posting about.
I think Manor's idea is a good one. Let's just have a thumbs up icon to show support for the individual idea posted, not the poster.
Cherry