Dukakis speaks to packed house

An overflow crowd of nearly 350 people packed the Law School's McKean Hall last night, hoping to gain political insight from former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. Dukakis -- the former governor of Massachusetts who tried unsuccessfully ran against then-Vice President Bush in 1988 -- was the first speaker in the Penn Law Democrats' "Dialogue with America" series. "I think we energized folks not only to vote, but to vote Democratic," Penn Law Democrats Chairperson Rich Constable said. "I think he mobilized the people here and hopefully this critical mass will get involved." Constable, a third-year Law student, played an integral role in bringing Dukakis to campus. As a Truman Scholar in his junior year of college, Constable met Dukakis during the political education program's Leadership Week and the two have kept in touch ever since. After attendees were forced to switch rooms to accommodate the unexpectedly large crowd, Law School Dean Colin Diver introduced Dukakis, explaining that the two had met while both were working for former Boston Mayor Kevin White. Dukakis's speech focused primarily on the need for young adults to become involved in public service. He also dealt with the economic problems of the middle class. "Our most important domestic challenge is to deal with what has been happening to working-class America," Dukakis said. "These good, hard-working people are going broke trying to send their kids to college." Currently a political science professor at Northeastern University in Boston, Dukakis touched on a variety of issues, ranging from long-term comprehensive health care to the efficiency of the Republican-controlled Congress. "[Speaker of the House] Newt Gingrich is the best thing that ever happened to the Democratic Party," Dukakis said. "I've seen no current recognition of problems from the Republican Congress or from Senator Dole." Attempting to mobilize the students to get involved in public service, Dukakis joked about how he became interested in politics. "Well, I'm Greek and I think it was something inherited. After all, we were the people who created democracy," Dukakis said. "But there's nothing more fulfilling and satisfying than being in public service." After his talk, Dukakis opened the floor to audience questions on a multitude of political topics, including affirmative action and the United Nations's role in the world. "In 1988, Bush called me a multilateralist -- it sounds almost pornographic," Dukakis said. "I envision the UN working towards a world in which the use of force to resolve disputes will be illegal." Dukakis ended the session by addressing the dichotomy between ideology and pragmatism in government and reasserting his desire for young adults to enter public service.

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