I think part of the problem with all of this is that there are so many related moving parts it is hard for people to get a grasp on the entire picture. This means that people focus on a narrow view with a couple of points that affect them but don't necessarily consider other aspects.
I would say that in combination, a slight curve, 50/50 and some flags reduces a great deal of abuse and incentivizes better content as there is more in the pool and more manual curators (hopefully). To win support now, send a bid. With manual curators it means supplying what is in demand well enough that it gets support.
The bidbots can still operate but the "main" abusers will likely have to change their content or stop using them as they won't want to incur loss. If they really just want eyes on their post, the loss won't matter as it is the cost of advertising. Also, with the curve, the larger the votes are on a post, the more impact a downvote will have (as I have come to understand it). This means trending could look pretty damn good soon.
Because it is so complicated to visualize, I think the only way to really get a good feel of it, is to try.