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The Gazette: Lamborn Gets Cheers for Slamming Obama

February 7, 2011

By John Schroyer

President Barack Obama was an easy target for U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn Saturday morning, when he headlined a town hall meeting with several local lawmakers.

Lamborn spent more than two hours talking politics with roughly 250 Colorado Springs residents, and taking regular swings at his Democratic foes.

Lamborn ran the gamut of political topics, from illegal immigration to free market economics to foreign policy. Despite the talk’s theme of "Legislative strategies in divided government," the discussion kept veering back to President Barack Obama and his policies.

To cheers and applause, he hammered Obama on healthcare reform, the federal budget, and more.

In lamenting the federal deficit, he said, "Debt is the symptom. Spending is the disease."

He got a roaring ovation when he said that when it comes to the federal government, "There are whole departments I’d like to eliminate."

The crowd reacted the same way when he said the Obama administration "just doesn’t get it" when it comes to domestic energy production.

He got more cheers for saying "Obamacare" is unconstitutional. And when he said he thinks there should be a constitutional provision requiring the federal budget to be balanced every year. And when he said the federal government should butt out of local education policies.

When a federal employee complained that his salary had been frozen, several people at the back of the room clapped in approval.

Lamborn blanched, especially after the man said he works for the Department of Defense, but said, "We do have to do some salary freezes. I agree with the president on that."

Then Sharon Kushner stood and said - amid loud whispers of incredulity - that she supports Obama’s health care reform bill. She asked Lamborn for alternative ways to help lower health care costs.

Lamborn replied that Obama’s health care bill "can’t be fixed," and said Congress should pursue more free-market reforms, including allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines.

Link to Original Article: http://www.gazette.com/articles/lamborn-112403-obama-foes.html