Rendell
Gov. Rendell and his wife, U.S. Appellate Judge Marjorie “Midge” Rendell, announced in an e-mail to friends today that they will be “living separately” now that they have left the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg.
But don’t let that prevent anyone from sending them invitations to the same party, the parting couple advised. The split after four decades of marriage is “amicable” and they won’t find it awkward or uncomfortable to socialize together.
“Dear friends, we wanted to let you know that we have decided to embark upon this next phase of our lives by living separately,” the e-mail said. “This has been a difficult decision, but we both believe it is the right thing to do. Our parting is amicable, and we will remain friends and continue to be active in our community, sometimes together, sometimes separately.”
The couple asks for their friends to “respect our privacy, and our decision, and wish us well.”
It is signed “Ed and Midge,” with this postscript: “Please do not hesitate to include both of us in social occasions as we will not find it awkward or uncomfortable.”
Midge Rendell, 64, is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She and Rendell, 67, married in 1971, have one son, Jesse, who practices law in Philadelphia.
Their e-mail makes no mention of divorce or the cause for the split. But Rendell has long been the subject of speculation involving younger women, typically leggy blonds. Rendell most recently turned heads last May when he arrived at a typical Election Day lunch at the Famous 4th Street Deli with Dr. Kirstin Snow, a state employee and former Miss Pennsylvania. [Gov. Corbett's media office says Snow's job as director of Commonwealth Media Services ended on Jan. 18, the day Rendell left office.]
A PhillyClout item about the pair lingering over lunch after other pols had departed prompted Philadelphia Magazine in July to explore rumors of an affair. That story did little beyond giving voice to the speculation and then allowing Rendell and Snow to deny the rumor. The story ran with a portrait of a grinning Rendell seated as Snow stood smiling and standing behind him, resting her arms on his shoulders.
Here's the conversation between Gov. Rendell and Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes" on CBS that prompted him to exclaim that the news program and casino critics are "idiots" and "simpletons" -- Via a CBS3 teaser. [You can see video of Rendell's tantrum here."
- Rendell: “It is a decent way to raise revenue where the upsides that are produced are significantly better than any downside that comes from it.”
- Stahl: “You said there were downsides to gaming. What are they?"
- Rendell: “The biggest downside is some people lose their paychecks. But understand Lesley they’re not losing their paychecks because Pennsylvania instituted gaming. Those people were losing their paychecks in Atlantic City, in Delaware at the race tracks...”
- Stahl: “So why not lose it here?”
- Rendell: “…or in West Virginia. You’re not getting it. Those people would lose that money anyway. Don’t you understand?”
Gov. Rendell's comments this week about the media and legalized gambling fell into place today like the spinning reels of a slot machine. Rendell, in his final Philly press conference as a public official on Monday, praised the press while admitting that he often gets angry and frustrated with their questions. Rendell also said his push for casinos in Pennsylvania had been a terrific success with "fairly minimal" social costs.
And then we got a look at the preview for Sunday night's "60 Minutes" on CBS, which reports on the rise in legalized gambling as a way for states to raise revenue and questions whether the newest slot machines are more addictive.
“You guys don’t get that,” Rendell said, gritting his teeth and waving his hands during an interview with Lesley Stahl. “You’re simpletons. You’re idiots if you don’t get that.”
Did somebody at 60 Minutes just say "Jackpot!"
Here's what Rendell had to say Monday about gambling addiction: "We have literally only a handful of people coming into our free treatment programs, where they can get therapy and the state picks up the costs. Those programs are dramatically underutilized."
Here's what Rendell had to say about the media: "It's actually been a pleasure dealing with the press. I get angry with them at times but our press does a very good job of keeping people informed. As irritated as I get at times, I always remind myself that this is the way that Democracy was intended to work."
Gov. Rendell took his national complaint about the "Wussification of America" onto Comedy Central's The Colbert Report last night and received mixed reviews from host Stephen Colbert. Rendell repeated his concern that the two-day postponement of the Dec. 26 Philadelphia Eagles game versus the Minnesota Vikings due to an approaching snow storm was proof that China has replaced America in pioneering spirit. That led to this exchange:
- Rendell: “China is kicking our butt, virtually in every field of endeavor. Why?”
- Colbert: “I agree. We should stand up to China and match them toe-for-toe. I say get rid of our child labor laws. Get our kids back out there. Have our prisoners make our toys. I’m with you on this one.”
- Rendell: “Look, all that’s well and good but…”
- Colbert:: “What?!? I’m so glad you agree with me. You’re tough people.”
Colbert praised Rendell as "bold" but then turned the tables when Rendell said he could not run for a third term as governor due to term limits.
- Colbert: “Aren’t you wussing out by not running again, even though its against the law.”
- Rendell: “You could interpret it that way.”
- Colbert: “I just did sir.”
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Ed Rendell | ||||
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Our man in Harrisburg, John Baer, reports that Gov. Rendell yesterday said at a capitol press conference that there’s only one answer to the Legislature’s inability to get things done: “Monarchy.” He then offered to serve his last year in office as a “benevolent dictator.”
You think there's something to the idea?
Gov. Ed Rendell was caught on the mike at the governors meeting yesterday saying that Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is a good pick for Homeland Security Chief because she has no family and therefore "no life."
Check out this CNN report from Campbell Brown, who rakes Eddie over the coals.
Gov. Rendell says today's meeting between 48 governors and President-elect Barack Obama at Philadelphia's Congress Hall to talk about economic stimulus was a success.
"We think it was a very productive meeting," Rendell said at a press conference after the session broke up.
The local meeting of the National Governors Association drew 48 of the 59 invited governors and governor-elects, including those from territories. Among the bold-faced names at Congress Hall on Independence Mall were Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The governors came together to discuss a multi-billion stimulus plan that Obama wants to sign upon taking office. Governors want Obama to provide dollars for infrastructure projects, as well as additional funding for social programs like food stamps, unemployment benefits and Medicaid.
Most states -- including Pennsylvania -- are currently facing massive budget deficits and are grappling with substantial buget cuts.
Rendell said Obama was supportive of the governors' requests, but no hard commitments were made and no dollar amounts pledged. But he said he was hopeful the states will get support when Obama takes office.
The nation's governors meet with President-elect Obama in Philly tomorrow to talk about their growing fiscal woes. Here's the press release from the guvs on what they want from Washington:
NGA AND NCSL CALL ON CONGRESS TO TAKE ACTION FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY
WASHINGTON—Leaders of the National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) joined together today to call on congressional leaders and the Administration to take early action to stabilize the nation’s economy.
Twenty states already have cut $7.6 billion from their fiscal year (FY) 2009 budgets, and 30 states have identified additional shortfalls totaling more than $30 billion. Twenty-five states also have identified shortfalls of $60 billion for FY 2010. However, these numbers tell only a portion of the story, with previous budget actions and the continuing downturn producing cumulative budget gaps of more than $140 billion for FY 2009 and FY 2010. Additionally, states feel the greatest impact on their budgets in the year after a recession ends, primarily because Medicaid growth occurs late in the recession and employment growth lags the recovery. Thus, the repercussions of this downturn will last for several years—and will be much worse without swift action.
One of the most effective sets of mechanisms the federal government can use to speed recovery is investments in existing federal-state programs because these programs are on-going and therefore the funds can be obligated quickly and expedited efficiently.
Programs with the greatest potential to hasten the recovery include:
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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