Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll has apologized:
Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll issued a contrite apology Monday to the widow of a fallen Marine from Westwood, saying she didn’t mean to offend his family by attending his funeral, giving her business card to his aunt and speaking against the war in Iraq.
The apology came after hundreds of outraged people from Pennsylvania and across the country swamped Knoll’s and Gov. Ed Rendell’s offices with phone calls and e-mails, many demanding Knoll’s resignation or impeachment and others faulting the governor for telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the state takes no position on the war…
Goodrich’s sister-in-law, Rhonda Goodrich, of Indiana County, who had asked for the apology, said she was satisfied that public pressure caused Knoll’s office to issue the letter, but she had hoped it would also include an apology to all Marines and others in military service.
Knoll, 74, of McKees Rocks, left Rhonda Goodrich a telephone message Sunday night, apologizing and explaining that as a mother and grandmother she opposes all war, Goodrich said.
“I’m still bitter, but if she apologized, that’s what I asked for,” Rhonda Goodrich said. “I wanted her called out on this, and I wanted people to know that she’s against the war — and if they’re all against the war, why are we fighting and people are dying? It’s a big political move. If it hadn’t gotten all this attention, I’m sure we’d never have heard anything.”
Add that to to Rendell’s apology, and the initial reports, and there is no doubt in my mind that Knoll did what was initially reported. Besides being political suicide, it was crass, opportunistic, mean, and offensive. Shame on her.
Gerry Daly passes on this piece about Lt. Gov. Knoll and political problems she is facing other than this situation of her own creation:
Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll made history nearly two years ago when she became the first woman to ascend to the state’s No. 2 spot.
But she has become an isolated and eccentric figure who may well end up being dropped by Gov. Ed Rendell when he seeks re-election two years from now, former staffers and top Rendell administration officials say.
Knoll burns through staff at an alarming rate, requires extensive coaching to preside over the state Senate and periodically infuriates top senators within her own Democratic Party.
And she has also paid a high-priced speech coach in part to break her of the habit of introducing Rendell at public events as the 1940s gangster movie actor Edward G. Robinson.
A public servant and politician for 34 years, Knoll is viewed as a political figurehead who jealously guards her limited authority and has little contact with the rest of the administration.
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review puts it this way:
Apologies were the order of the day Monday. But the damage was done and the egg on the face is thick.
The best public service Knoll could perform would be to not seek re-election. As for Rendell, he could use a class in thinking before speaking.
I am not going to hold Rendell responsible for Knoll’s bizarre and unfair behavior, but Knoll needs to be pushed aside. And while skepticism is warranted in any case, it looks like Rhonda Goodrich was straightforward from the beginning.
Rick
Grassy Knoll sounds like having a freaking Helen Thomas clone playing the role of Lt. Governor.
Cordially…
Steve
I think the jury is still out, personally, and will be forevermore. The coincidence of Knoll going to many military funerals and just happening to behave inappropriately when a major College Republican activist is around is just too much – it reminds me of too many other scams I have seen.
Thing is, even if the story is all fiction, the apology would still be the smart political move. I think Rendell was apologizing before he even bothered to check out the facts, because frankly, he has absolutely no percentage in taking the side of his kooky Lt. Gov. And if you’re Knoll, and the Gov. has already apologized, do you really want to dig in your heels and start a pissing contest with a relative of a deceased soldier? Why would you bother?
All indications are that it’s time for Knoll to retire for events unrelated to this and I wouldn’t disagree with that.
Jeff
Since Lynn Swann is probably gonna be Rendell’s opponent in 2006, maybe Rendell should nominate Franco Harris to be his Lt Gov.
He’s a Democrat and politically active.
Vlad
Just for the record, the Trib is owned by the Scaifes, so it’s not the most neutral information source out there. I generally stick to the P-G or the BCT on local news, myself.
mac Buckets
To paraphrase Tommy Boy, I’ve heard a lot of stuff in my life, but that…is…AWESOME!
If only Rendell and Barack Obama would appear together, and get Knoll and Teddy Kennedy, two great thinkers in neo-liberal thought today, to introduce them.
Mike S
She should not have spoken against the war in this setting. I have a hard time trusting Rhoda or a Scaife paper but this indicates to me that she did just that and should be slammed for it. If someone shows me a statement from Kroll where she denies that part of the story I may have second thoughts but as it stands now she was wrong wrong wrong.
You take your lead from the family a a funeral. If you support the war and the family states that they are against it, you smile and say nothing. The same goes for this situation. Funerals are a time to support the family and honor the dead. They are not a place for your own political statement. As an example, an extreme one but fair, it makes me think of Rev Phelps and his church of hate.
Anderson
Sounds like she’s guilty as charged, tho possibly incompetent.
Of course, she may have bashed the war at a dozen funerals & this was just the first where people didn’t go “hell yeah.”
Steve
I completely agree with Mike S. It’s just common sense that not all families are going to want to hear that their loved one died for a mistake, if she did make a comment along those lines. It mystified me that so many people wanted to focus on the business card or the fact that she showed up at all when the anti-war comment was easily the most offensive element of the story.
jcricket
I agree as well. Any political figure that shows up at a constituent’s funeral should just be reverent and appropriately polite. While I think it’s just possible that the truth of her statement lies somewhere in the middle of the various claims, it really doesn’t matter in the long run. I’m sure the family was at a sensitive place during the funeral, and they should have been left to grieve alone.
Bernard Yomtov
Knoll appears in fact to have been seriously out of line. No problem with her appearance, but making this sort of statement at the funeral is unacceptable.
Jill
I have a feeling that Knoll has probably gone to many PA funerals and this was the first time the grieving family wasn’t in agreement with her comments. Bad luck for her to have said the regrettable words to a Republican activist, the only few people left in the country who still believe in this war.
Stormy70
I focused on the business card and showing up uninvited because the updated versions had not been released. I did not want to jump the gun and accuse her of the anti-war statement without further clarification. But it does look like she did make the statement against the war, and she did a stupid, hurtful thing to the grieving family. Now that she apologized, it should be over.
d
what’s the bet this gets blown into Durbin-sized proportions.
rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2005/07/hmmm.html
Rhonda Goodrich
The immediate family isn’t talking – just some in-law ”
If you would like “Immediate” family who is talking please visit SSGT Goodrich’s BROTHERS website.(The link is below)
“The fact that she has been to more than 20 funerals shows that she’s a caring person. ”
Caring, yes, never one word to the family of condolense or assistance, But she made sure she went to the TV camera.Very caring
“but also, it’s been nice hearing the press talking some trash about you today. I sympathize with the death in your family, but ”
Your about as sympathetic as Knoll.Please see
pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_357054.html
Link to Immediate family’s website ….home.earthlink.net/~goodrich2/blog.htm