Yeah, that's kind of how things are shaping up. No matter how much of a douche he is, his little grabber-ons are always going to perceive him as a martyr to the voices-of-reason. If he gets perma-banned (which he might as well, since he's contributed nothing but his douchebaggery to the forum), it'll probably cause more bitching and moaning than it's worth.
Virtually all of the long-time contributers to that forum have made it clear how they feel about him, so if he stays around, he's pretty much going to be confined to the lounge where people can flame him freely.