More Lies From Reason

How do you know when a libertarian is lying to you? When she uses symbols, orally or in writing, to communicate an idea.

Over at Libertarian Fonzie's diner, Tim Cavanaugh jocksniffs that a Los Angeles Times reporter is kicking sand in the eyes of an elderly bodybuilder:

So it's not Shane Goldmacher's opinion, just straight news, that the lame-duck governor of California is sending a "gubernatorial ransom note" and "holding the state hostage" in his budget negotiations, thus repeating a "shameful chapter in California's history" and alienating cooperative Democrats with his "ultimatums." It is furthermore objectively true that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is doing this not just from an honest desire to fix Sacramento's chronic budgeting problems but out of personal pique, that he is trying to retrofit a "fiscal system that has bedeviled California -- and him -- for years."

So what does the article actually say:

Some have likened his wish list to a gubernatorial ransom note, being used to polish his tarnished fiscal legacy.

"This is a governor that holds the state hostage," said Assemblywoman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa). "How irresponsible is that?"

The effects of the budget impasse are cascading across California.

State worker furloughs resumed Friday, forcing Department of Motor Vehicles branches to reschedule more than 15,600 appointments so they could close that day and again next Friday. An emergency fund to pay health clinics that serve the poor has run dry; the final payments go out Monday.

And state Controller John Chiang has warned that IOUs could be as little as two weeks away, repeating last year's "shameful chapter of California history."

Schwarzenegger says his final budget is a last chance to fix the state.

"I have two choices as governor, especially since this is my last year," Schwarzenegger told a group of Bay Area business leaders this month. "Do I want to go and just make everyone happy and … go along with them, or do I want to go and, you know, wage this battle?"

Two of the five quotes that Cavanaugh characterizes as the reporter's opinion are actually quotes from Arnie's critics, and they are clearly labelled as such. A third is the reporter's accurate characterization of the opponents' position. The fourth is an accurate characterization of Arnie's position, and the fifth isn't critical of Arnie. Arnie himself is quoted at least four times in the piece, and another Republican is quoted as well. Nothing in the article suggests Arnie's mindset or motives for his actions (except to quote Arnie's claim that his motivations were not personal). Cavanaugh identifies nothing in the article which is false.

With dishonesty like this, Cavanaugh could take his droolbucket over to NewsBusters and make a decent living. I can't imagine that Reason could make a competitive counteroffer, no matter how popular racist pornographic DVDs are.