It doesn’t matter if the most upvoted comment is pro or against subject in discussion. All that matters is bolstering a comment that is minimally compatible with participant’s thinking and making it win against the opposite argument (competing and most voted one).
So it seems that the most satisfactory comment (for most readers) doesn’t really matter at all. What matters, before anything else, is visibility of an opinion that somewhat aligns with one’s thinking, rather than writing or finding the most corresponding comment for that subject, fully compatible with reader’s perception.
This is still valid within the “use it as a last resort” framework. That doesn’t mean don’t use it, it just means think through the ramifications of using it before you do use it. If the admin comes to the conclusion that nothing else can be done, then defederate.