> those overlaps would probably translate to some overarching strains of belief, for example, the tendency toward libertarian viewpoints

The opposite is actually true, in my experience. Hardcore libertarian views on HN have been largely quashed into irrelevance, they only survive in lore. New commenters who join and expect HN to be a nest of hyper-capitalists are quickly downvoted into oblivion. Which is not a terrible thing in the great scheme of things, from the personal perspective of somebody who would likely dislike their point of view; but it has definitely taken something away from the HN experience, and possibly pushed some people towards worse (more radicalized) forums.