Foglietta skips victory party after cruising to his ninth straight term

Philadelphia DemocratsPhiladelphia Democratsgathered downtown toPhiladelphia Democratsgathered downtown tocheer President Clinton'sPhiladelphia Democratsgathered downtown tocheer President Clinton'seasy reelection. and Erin Malec Complete with hoagies, cheesesteaks and mustard-covered pretzels, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party celebrated its victories last night at the Convention Center in true Philadelphia fashion. Missing from the festivities, however, was 16-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Thomas Foglietta (D-1st District). Although after winning 87.3 percent of the vote, Foglietta was expected to celebrate his landslide victory with the other members of the party, he had still not appeared late into the evening. But his Republican opponent, Philadelphia lawyer James Cella, was even more obscure. "I don't have the foggiest idea who the other guy is," said architect Michael Neil, a 1st Congressional District resident, who attended the festivities. "I voted for Foglietta because he has done a lot for the city, he has a great administrative staff and he is pro-Israel," Neil added. Despite Foglietta's absence, those gathered at the Convention Center continued to party, powered by President Clinton's easy reelection. Mayor Ed Rendell and the Philly Phanatic joined a diverse crowd, including many students and local residents. Rendell, sporting a navy tie speckled with donkeys and saxophones, welcomed the 68 percent voter turnout in the city -- 78 percent of which supported Clinton. "Everyone was saying that Philadelphians would stay home this year, but some of the turnouts were better than anyone had expected," Rendell said. "I think that people in this city have a genuine affinity for Clinton, and that they understood what a Republican Congress could do to us," he added. Despite Rendell's optimism, Republicans maintained their control of the House of Representatives and Senate after yesterday's election. A crowd of approximately 1,000 had already gathered by 9 p.m., when Clinton's victory was announced. Penn students made a strong showing among those dancing and cheering as election results poured in. "We wanted to get here early, because we knew it wouldn't be long before it was over," Wharton sophomore Jeff Snyder said. College freshman Michele Sacks, attended yesterday's event as a member of Penn for Clinton/Gore '96. "One of the reasons I went to Penn was to be in the city to be part of things like this," Sacks said. All students involved with College Democrats and Penn for Clinton/Gore were invited to the celebration. "I was really involved in the campaign and now's the time to sit back and enjoy it," College sophomore Beth Garstkiewicz said. Rendell said student support was essential to the success of the Democrat campaigns. Observing the election proceedings, Asmat Ullah Khan, director of Pakistan's National Institute of Public Administration, said the election process contrasted greatly to that in his country, whose parliament dissolved yesterday morning.

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