Penn Dems cheer Clinton during debate

Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell will be "seriously considered" for a cabinet position if President Clinton is reelected in November, according to Mike Frazier, director of Clinton's Pennsylvania campaign. "There's definitely been a lot of talk about Rendell joining [the cabinet] in Clinton's second term," Frazier said. "I think he'd be a great addition to the cabinet." Rendell, who cannot seek a third term as mayor by city law, has been mentioned as a top candidate to replace Attorney General Janet Reno, who is not expected to serve a second term. Frazier made the comments during a debate-watching party last night sponsored by Penn for Clinton/Gore '96. The Penn event -- held at the Palladium -- attracted more than 250 people, despite the absence of scheduled attendees Rendell and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.). Yesterday's 90 minute debate -- the second of two -- was held in a town-meeting format at San Diego University. The debate was marked by sharp personal attacks from both candidates. As he watched the debate, Frazier noted that polls showing a double-digit Clinton lead over Republican nominee Bob Dole heading into the last three weeks of the campaign are "more of a hindrance than a help." "Having a big lead can often be dangerous because it leads to a sense of complacency, where people figure that they don't need to vote because a candidate is so far ahead," he explained. "But polls don't win the elections and every vote really counts." He added that Philadelphia holds the key to a state-wide Clinton victory. "Philadelphia will be the margin of victory for Clinton in Pennsylvania," Frazier said. "We've laid a good groundwork here, and I think that Philly will give us a chance to finish what we want to do." Many students at the overwhelmingly pro-Clinton event admitted they did not learn anything new about the candidates from watching the debate. Several explained that the debate, not the individual candidates, failed in this respect. "The debate is really just for show," Engineering sophomore Seelig Sinton said. "It's good at getting the word out about the different candidates, but it'll have very little effect on how people vote." Throughout the event, students booed and laughed during Dole's televised remarks. Second-year Law student Carrie Corcoran said the tone of the debate upset her. "It was annoying that the two candidates couldn't just answer a question straight, without getting nasty," she said. "But I guess Dole just did what he thought he had to do." She added that Dole was not as spiteful as she had expected him to be. While many students said they thought the vast majority of Penn students would most likely vote for Clinton, College freshman Benjamin McNeil said such confidence might be premature. "I'd assume that most people will vote for Clinton, but with all of these Wharton kids, who knows for sure?" he said. "All of the Wharton people on my hall are registered Republicans." McNeil added that the candidates' personal attacks during the debate may have actually helped their chances with voters. "People finally got a chance to see the pointed and direct answers they didn't get during the first debate," he said. "And, despite the nastiness, they finally got to see some real answers."