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Onward,
Alexander, Jeffrey, Becky and Deva
November
1, 2006
The Goldschmidt Affair
Democrats,
Sex Crimes and the Press
By FRED LEONHARDT
In a lather of righteous indignation,
a recent Oregonian newspaper editorial demanded that "anyone
in Congress who protected Foley should be given the boot, period.
And that includes (House Speaker Dennis) Hastert himself,"
because sheltering a pedophile is "a truly odious act."
The Oregonian neglected to
remind its readers that such acts aren't confined to Capitol
Hill or to Republicans: In 2004 it reluctantly reported that
Governor Ted Kulongoski and others in Portland's political and
business circles were accused of knowing former governor Neil
Goldschmidt had repeatedly raped his children's 14-year-old babysitter
while mayor of Portland in the 1970's.
I was the accuser.
The story of Neil and the girl
had circulated for years in Portland bars and boardrooms, among
lawyers, judges, reporters, editors, business executives, developers,
elected officialsmany of whom had gained power and wealth
from their association with Goldschmidt.
No one spoke up; no one confronted
him.
Goldschmidt, unencumbered by
conscience and sheltered by those who knew the truth, went on
to a stellar career: U.S. secretary of transportation, Nike VP,
and governor of Oregon, where he was touted as presidential material.
As his speechwriter (and as-yet unaware of his sordid past),
I proudly helped author Neil's "Children's Agenda,"
inspiring Oregonians to protect and defend those most vulnerable
to poverty, neglect and, too often, sexual predators.
Convinced by Neil's former
state police bodyguard in 1994 that the rumors were true, I told
Kulongoski, my close friend and at that time Oregon's attorney
general. But the statute of limitations had expired, and Neil
had obtained a confidentiality agreement from his now-adult victim
in exchange for cash.
A child rapist had not only
escaped justice and public shame, he cashed in on his government
career, becoming the wealthiest and most influential power broker
in Oregon. Ted often used a two-word phrase to describe Goldschmidt
and others like him who undeservedly attain wealth and power:
"Shit floats."
I stayed away from Neil out
of disgust, and I assumed Ted would do the same.
But by 2001 when Ted was gearing
up to run for governor, he told me that the hardest part of that
job would be "keeping Neil at arms length because he asks
me to do unethical things."
It turned out to be harder
than he thought.
During the campaign, Neil provided
political strategy and access to corporate cash. As governor,
Ted showered favors on Neil's clients, and in spite of what he
knew of Neil's crime, appointed him to the State Board of Higher
Education.
This reckless and irresponsible
act was more than I could stomach. I took the story of Goldschmidt's
crime and Kulongoski's knowledge to the state's leading newspaper,
expecting to unleash a firestorm of outrage.
Instead, I encountered a conspiracy
of silence and, even more sickening, indifference.
The Oregonian sat on my story
for five months until its local rival, Willamette Week, exposed
Goldschmidt's past in an
investigative report that would later win its author, Nigel
Jaquiss, a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize.
As Jaquiss also revealed, mine
wasn't The Oregonian's only warning. At least one senior editor
and the Oregonian's editorial cartoonist had been tipped off
as early as 1986 but had done nothing.
In the aftermath of the scandal's
revelation, Portland's elite -- even my former colleagues from
the governor's office who, like me, are the fathers of daughters
-- collectively shrugged off the consequences of a girl's life
destroyed. "Look at the great things Neil's done for Oregon,"
they would tell me.
Besides, they said, "She
must have looked older than 14."
No longer able to ignore my
accusations, The Oregonian finally published my story. As a
result, an editorial titled, "Ted Kulongoski's Responsibility,"
demanded that he "answer hard questions about what he knew
and when about Goldschmidt's past sexual abuse of an underage
girl."
He never answered those questions.
But then, no reporter ever asked them.
A few weeks later, The Oregonian's
interest had already evaporated; a subsequent editorial referred
to Kulongoski as "a man of great integrity."
And one editor recently wrote,
"he's honest to a fault and he cares more about the future
of Oregon than his own political career."
But why pick on the Oregonian?
Ben Bradlee, former Washington Post editor, once said, "Even
the very best newspapers have never learned how to handle public
figures who lie with a straight face."
Meanwhile, under a governor
who wants kids to know he's "on their side," the plight
of abused and neglected children in Oregon grows worse while
the shame of Oregonians grows less.
Last Halloween, a local lawyer
and his wife attended a costume party dressed as "Neil and
the babysitter."
This year's horror story is
a choice for governor between a Goldschmidt lackey in Kulongoski,
and a Goldschmidt consigliere in Portland lawyer and Republican,
Ron Saxton.
Trick or treat, indeed.
So Speaker Hastert, I suggest
you adopt Kulongoski's playbook for political survival: First,
issue a statement saying that you are "greatly surprised,
saddened and upset" by the revelations, and that your heart
goes out to the victim. Deny you were ever warned about any
sexual misconduct with a minor. Repeatedly refer to your own
troubled childhood as a reason why you would never protect a
pedophile. Then wait for scandal fatigue to set in.
It worked for Ted, it might
work for you.
"We're not worried about the issue," Kulongoski's pollster
said during his re-election campaign last spring, "because
the governor has made it clear all along he knew nothing about
the horrible set of circumstances."
Repeat after me, Speaker Hastert:
"I knew nothing." Join the legions of enablers who
protect the Foleys and Goldschmidts of the world for their own
personal gain.
Because in Washington, D.C.,
as in Oregon, for the privilege of being in on "the deal;"
for funds raised and favors granted; for journalistic access
to the powers that be; for high political office followed by
a high-paid lobbying job children's lives and the public
trust are expendable.
Fred Leonhardt is a recovering speechwriter who served
on Governor Neil Goldschmidt's senior staff from 1987-1991.
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