I wouldn't worry about the politics side of things to much......every type of Club has its "politics". I belonged to a Retriever Club for a # of years, and it was the same sorts of things, just different topics. You can get as involved or uninvolved as you like, in both IDPA and IPSC, in the end, the courses of fire should put a smile on your face, if not, this probably isn't the sport for you....they are both equally good "sports" if you let them be that!
And just one other point about the BB course. Yes, it might be overkill for shooting other action pistol sports, but there is no equal to it, that other disciplines offer. I kind of wish other action sports had as rigorous safety course! I have witnessed more gross safety violations at events other than IPSC, and I have to attribute that to the BB course! But then again, there are those that just shouldn't be allowed to own firearms, in my mind, due to a complete lack of common sense! But what do I know!