Apropos my blog on Jonathan Rauch’s column, I heard from a couple of people whom I respect who made these points: first, that Rauch’s assertion was that Republican politics in the Bush era was “all about suppressing the center,” which is different than saying that President Bush and his team suppressed the moderate vote in the 2004 campaign. There’s ample evidence of polarization during the Bush period, my friend argues, and plenty of reason (starting with gerrymandering and continuing through candidate selection, Tom DeLay, etc) to believe it was a preoccupation of political elites.

It strikes me that this is a pretty fine distinction and also wrong in key respects — I don’t accept the proposition that the 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections were “all about suppressing the center” — but it’s an objection I thought was worth raising for others to consider. People can read Jon Rauch’s column and decide for themselves.

I heard from a second person who thought, on reflection, that accusing Jon Rauch’s analysis of being “sloppy” and based on “ignorance” was too harsh. On reflection, I agree — at least on the latter characterization. My difference with Rauch, I suspect, is based on a profoundly different analysis of the facts, not on knowledge v. ignorance.

Not a big deal to others, I know – but I thought it was worth raising both matters.