Joby Fortson & Texas Redistricing

The New Yorker: Fact

Once again, a private email that Joby Fortson sent to a small group of his friends has made it into print in a story regarding the Texas 2002 redistricting. The original article, as well as this one, is unfair to Joby for a number of reasons:

(1) The original email was a personal message sent to a small number of friends, it was chock full of inside jokes that the general public, not being part of that social circle, didn't get; Because it was an email sent to friends, and not intended for outside distribution, comments on its grammar etc. really should be ignored.

(2) Joby is not, nor has he been, a political operative; rather, he is a very well educated person working in politics who took the time to do a quick and dirty analysis of the potential Texas redistricing results. Joby's analysis cannnot be taken to imply any work or assistance by him on the redistricting process;

(3) Any inferred malice on Joby's part was nothing more than good natured ribbing of his many Democratic friends. In fact, as a result of the email's inside jokes, Joby personally apologized to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in writing after the email became public.

(4) Politics is a contact sport, and as Joby points out, the Democrats in 2002 reaped what they has sown in the 1990 re-districting.

How do I know all of this? I am a professional colleague of his.

The fact that institutions like the New Yorker continue to use Joby's analysis as proof of Republican malfeasance, simply shows how far the liberal media has to stretch to malign the Republican Party and its members.