This is spot on. GIL-less python will be a thing, and when it happens, there will still be no reason to combine asyncIO with thread primitives. Waiting for IO can be spun off into a new thread, and it will work as you expect it would.
Trying to combine mental models of asyncio and threading is a model for pure insanity.
Trying to combine mental models of asyncio and threading is a model for pure insanity.