Fact Checking A Randy Bish Embarrassment

It's been a while since I fact-checked Trib Editorial Cartoonist, Randy Bish but I knew I had to when I saw this cartoon today at the Trib:

I realize it's just an editorial, blah-blah-blah, but that shouldn't mean he can get away with the dishonesty.

The conservative story line can be traced back to this editorial in the Washington Times:

Another day and another of President Obama’s campaign boasts bites the dust. While out on the hustings last year, Mr. Obama pummeled Mitt Romney for writing a 2008 op-ed column in The New York Times titled “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.”

The Republican nominee sensibly argued that bankruptcy would force the city to go through a drastic — and necessary — restructuring of its finances. Mr. Obama, on the other hand, boasted, “We refused to let Detroit go bankrupt. We bet on American workers … and that bet is paying off.” Until Tuesday.

The Washington Times doesn't link to Romney's op-ed (why not? you'll see in a second) so I will.  Here it is.  And here's Mitt's opening:

IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself.

See that? Mitt Romney wasn't talking about the city of Detroit, he was using a rhetorical device called metonymy  to discuss the automobile industry.

If there's any doubt about what President Obama was talking about take a look at what he actually said (and you should have done this, Randy.  You'd've saved yourself some embarrassment):

Every year around this time, American car companies start rolling out their newest, shiniest models, hoping to entice you into buying one. It’s Detroit’s chance to show you what they’ve been working on – the latest and greatest. And this year is no exception. They’ve got some pretty good-looking cars coming out.

But something is different this time around – and it starts with the auto companies themselves.

Just a few years ago, the auto industry wasn’t just struggling – it was flatlining. GM and Chrysler were on the verge of collapse. Suppliers and distributors were at risk of going under. More than a million jobs across the country were on the line – and not just auto jobs, but the jobs of teachers, small business owners, and everyone in communities that depend on this great American industry.

But we refused to throw in the towel and do nothing. We refused to let Detroit go bankrupt.

See that?  Detroit, the auto industry not Detroit, the city.

The Washington Times lied to its audience by conflating the two and Randy Bish is extending the lie by quoting it.

You're better than this, Randy.  You really are.