” we could have made a difference. “
And in many cases we do. The most memorable one that comes to mind was someone looking to buy (or do?) something for his frum brother, and was looking for suggestions on how to best go about it.
He turned to the CR because of the tone and content we (usually) are known for.
In the case of Basket, he was not asking, he was asserting. So its doubtful we could have made a substantial difference.
Because he was not open to ideas, and because he knew it all.