Are we though?
Your whole model is based upon the assumption that Bill is purposefully ‘manipulating’ us into say derogatory things about his talking-points – what I would call the Machiavellian Martyrdom/Masochism, or M3, model. Whilst a psychological case can be made for this model, I find it rather tenuous, and thus less-than-compelling.
May I suggest an alternate model:
Not infrequently, facts turn up that makes ID look stupid.
As Bill really likes ID, this makes him really sad.
In order to make himself not (so) sad, Bill says something that, he thinks, makes ID look less stupid.
This model has the advantage of simplicity – it gives Bill a payoff regardless of how people respond.
But how do people’s responses affect the payoff?
If people reacted by saying ‘by Jove Bill, I think you’re right! Evolution is rather silly and ID is the way to go – how could we have been so wrong?’ Bill would be very happy.
If people didn’t respond at all, Bill could think to himself ‘Aha, I’ve stumped them’, and be happy (if less happy than if we told him he was right).
If people reacted by telling him his statement was stupid, Bill could think to himself ‘they’re just poopey-heads’ and ‘they just don’t get it’, and be sad (but not so sad as if he hadn’t said anything in the first place).
I call this my Bill Sad, or BS, model.
At which point I grab the dunce’s cap, saunter over to the corner, and play a quick game of ‘Props’ from Whose Line is It Anyway (the excellent British version, not the horrible American knock-off) with the cap, with a cheesy grin on my face.