BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
![[townmeeting]](/editions/1998/09/03/meeting_180x131.jpg)
Kelly O'Donnell conducts town meeting for MSNBC at Aronoff Center.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Cincinnatians' opinions were aired on national cable Wednesday night in a discussion of the implications of the sex scandal enveloping President Clinton.
The cable news network MSNBC invited about 45 Cincinnatians, including ministers, students, professor and officeholders, to a live forum held at the Aronoff Center's Procter & Gamble Hall. The discussion produced divergent views on not only Mr. Clinton's conduct but also whether the scandal had overshadowed other issues.
Most of those who spoke were concerned about the president's conduct and its effect on the presidency and the nation as a whole. Newport Police Officer Coy Cox was particularly strong in his condemnation the president's behavior.
"At one time when someone would mention that office, people used to stand in awe," said Officer Cox, a 14-year veteran of the police force. "If there is one person we should expect integrity from, it's the president. He is supposed to be our leader."
George Parker of Mason, a candidate for the state appeals court, was sharp in expressing his disgust over the Lewinsky affair.
"I'm embarrassed and ashamed that we are here talking about this at all," Mr. Parker said. "We've lost our way in this country."
The Rev. Jim McCann, an international relations professor at Xavier University, said he does think the scandal has done "some harm" to Mr. Clinton's ability to lead, particularly in foreign affairs.
"There is some damage to the country's image," Father McCann said.
One member of the audience said he thought talk of the scandal was distracting attention from more important problems.
"What about the scandal in the heath-care industry?" said local artist Michael Blankenship. "What about the scandal of professional sports franchises holding cities like Cincinnati hostage? I think people are tired of seeing this country wrapped up in a sex scandal when there are other important problems."
The forum also touched on how the scandal will affect the race in Cincinnati's 1st Congressional District, one of the most closely watched in the country.
Both incumbent GOP Rep. Steve Chabot and Mayor Roxanne Qualls were invited to participate, but only Mr. Chabot showed up.
Shortly before the program began, he criticized his opponent for being reluctant to speak publicly about Mr. Clinton's troubles.
"As close as she and the president (seemed) to be when he was here in March, you would think she would have something to say," Mr. Chabot said.
Mr. Clinton is coming to Cincinnati Sept. 17 for a Democratic fund-raiser, and Ms. Qualls has said she may not attend because of scheduling conflicts.
"She needs to make a decision on whether or not it is appropriate to be fund raising with the president," Mr. Chabot said. "If she wants to be in Congress, she may have to be a judge in this case."
Mr. Chabot is a member of the House Judiciary Committee that may end up deciding whether to impeach the president.
He said during the forum that he will withhold judgment on Mr. Clinton's actions until he receives the report from independent counsel Kenneth Starr.
Lycette Nelson of Stonewall Cincinnati, the city's largest gay political organization, said she does not think the 1st Congressional District race will be decided by the scandals unfolding in Washington.
"People know these two candidates," Ms. Nelson said. "They will vote on the basis of that and what they know about these two people."
Norman Thomas, recently retired presidential historian at the University of Cincinnati, said the scandal has "seriously diminished the presidency as an institution."
Mr. Thomas said the court decisions that have come out of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and the Paula Jones lawsuit against the president have established precedents that will "give future presidents a hard time in trying to run this office."
He specifically cited decisions that limited executive privilege and testimony of Secret Service agents before the grand jury.
The forum in Cincinnati was the second in a series that MSNBC plans to air around the country.
![[townmeeting]](/editions/1998/09/03/meeting_550x401.jpg)