Brett,
I think this is less accurate. Patches languish because of limited time *and* because newbies don't have any social capital w/in the Python community. New patch contributors are volunteers too, so they understand that constraint. Their big problem is their outsider status, to which the patch angels/5-for-1 system is an elegant solution. And that's what should be emphasized in this FAQ.
But that makes us sound elitist.
To be honest I took away the opposite lesson. New patch contributors acutely feel their outsider status; this is to be expected in any social system. The fact that there is a clear, established path for newcomers to follow -- the 5-for-1 rule -- is precisely what makes the Python community non-elitist in this instance. Transparent documentation on this point would further erode any elitism. chad