No it is not the same as Thrall wasn't in that picture at all when it came to the policies being made. I also do not think the Horde will be making a repeat after Garrosh, so the Warchief appointed will probably have to be of a unanimous decision amongst the Horde leaders. When Thrall is advising the new leader I have no doubt things will be fine. Garrosh not working wasn't because of the advisors, it was just because of Garrosh. With Thrall in the picture the dynamic changes.
If a person were to become Warchief who wasn't a psycho, can you not see that this would be a great opportunity for some progression?
There is ample reasoning for such a thing to happen with a lot of potential for it to expand the Horde's story.
I don't think that would be popular. I think people like both factions having a distinct leadership style. There was a lot of controversy surrounding Varian being High King as people said it was too close to the Horde despite it later being clarified to only military control and even then there's a sizeable portion who still are uneasy about it.