It's easy for them to brand bitcoin advocates as kooks (see "Time Cube").
Eh? The Time Cube guy IS very obviously a kook. (Aside: If you need a good laugh, this
radio show interviewed him - TWICE - pretending to play along with him. He's absolutely nuts.)
Attempting to brand someone as a kook only works if there's something kooky going on. Bitcoin is exactly what it claims to be. One might find a security hole in it, but that's about all you can credibly do to discredit it.