Over at CalBuzz, they have a recap of a Meg Whitman interview on Fox.  Let’s just say the whole Arnold 2.0 vibe is not working these days. And it’s definitely NOT working with the fine folks over at calbuzz [EDIT by Brian: oops forgot the most important word]:

“We have to streamline government,” eMeg blathered. “Californian’s can no longer afford the government they have; we have got to give them the government they deserve and works for the people.” Poor Ted Sorenson must be gasping for breath.

This wasn’t an interview – it was a warm-up for an interview, where tepid, mushy platitudes slid by as “answers.”  … eMeg says it’s a “false choice” to have to pose cutting services versus raising taxes. Instead, she said, “We have to make government more efficient.” Aaaaarrgggggh. [Cut to Calbuzz tearing out what’s left of our hair.]

To that whole “efficiency” thing.  How naïve does she think the people of California are?  Apparently enough to think $14 Billion (yes, that’s a B there meg) is something that can be made up by “efficiency.” This lie, and its cousin “fraud, waste, and abuse,” is one of the most pernicious conservative tall tales.  It never goes away, despite all of the evidence to the contrary.  While there is some non-zero level of waste, it has not been shown to be substantially higher in our state government than any other major bureaucracy. At this point, there just isn’t that much fat left to cut off the bone.

But this is what they call primary season in the GOP.

On a related note, CalBuzz points out that Whitman has yet to take a real interview since she flubbed the LA Times interview.