Hudson's top goal: Stop Obamacare

CONCORD, N.C. -- Eighth District U.S. Congressman Richard Hudson held a town hall meeting at Jay M. Robinson High School on Monday where he emphasized his goal of stopping Obamacare and other priorities.

About 100 people attended the meeting, moderated by Judge Martin McGee, including local and state elected officials. The meeting was generally calm but became raucous at times when attendees called for the end of the health care law and the impeachment of President Barack Obama.

Hudson said he is unequivocally against Obamacare.

“I am absolutely going to do whatever it takes to stop that awful law,” he declared, adding business leaders he’s talked to are sitting on capital and not hiring because of uncertainties about the law’s implementation and regulatory effects.

He said he wants to repeal the law or at least delay it and “make the election in 2014 about Obamacare.”

He, along with other Republicans, want to leave funding for Obamacare out of the upcoming Continuing Resolution, intended to keep the government running while Congress works on a final budget.

“Anything we do has to get through the Senate,” controlled by majority leader Harry Reid, but he said he hopes the House leadership gets behind the defunding push.

“If we can settle for a one-year delay, let’s take it,” he said.

Hudson also discussed his position on immigration reform, saying he is against the Senate version of the bill and wants to break the reform up into its constituent parts.

“Border security’s first,” he said. Then, federal law should change to allow states to enforce federal immigration laws and their own immigration laws as long as they do not supersede federal authority.

“I think that makes total sense,” Hudson said, noting only federal agents are currently allowed to enforce federal immigration law.

He said the U.S. needs to rethink the way it handles visas, moving away from a lottery system and toward a needs-based system like most of the rest of the industrialized world.

“Our immigration system is completely broken,” he said. “We could build a fence, but as long as it’s easier to come here and get a job illegally than it is to come here and get a job legally, there’s always going to be that pressure pulling people across the border.”

Several people spoke during the question and answer segment.

One man asked how to spur on private sector stimulus in the absence of federal stimulus.

“The discussion around doing anything to increase wages seems to hit a roadblock,” he said, and asked Hudson what could be done to raise the minimum wage and middle class income.

Hudson said capitalism is “the greatest force for good” to raise people out of poverty and improve living conditions to applause from the crowd.

“We’ve got to unleash the private sector and private sector spending,” he said, and the solution is to remove “structural barriers,” among them Obamacare and other government regulations.

Other questions ranged from Social Security to Syria to birthright citizenship for immigrants.

Hudson said he would consider supporting air strikes but is against sending ground troops to fight government forces of President Bashar al-Assad or sending weapons that might wind up in the hands of Al-Qaeda.

Jackson Brooks asked Hudson how the GOP can attract votes from young conservatives like him.

Hudson said the problem is that much of the cynicism young people feel toward politics is earned, but said the best and brightest are needed to solve the nation’s problems.

“I can make sure I’m a person of integrity,” he offered, adding he admires Obama at least in his role as a husband and father. He also said Republicans need to have a stronger message and “let people understand why we’re doing this.”

“Obamacare ain’t going to hurt rich people,” he said. “Rich people are going to be fine. Rich people can buy their own insurance. Obamacare is going to crush people who can least afford it.”

“People are going to be hurt by this,” he said. “And we’ve got to talk about that better and help people understand.”

He added Republicans need to listen more, then he bounced the question back to Brooks and said he would like to meet with him sometime to hear his ideas.

The talk got a little heated Steve Caldwell stood up and said the “Republic is under siege.”

“When do we take the gloves off and stop worrying about our fancy paying gigs as congressmen and senators and start worrying about the Republic?” He asked to roaring applause.

Hudson replied the politicians in Washington all know Social Security and Medicare are “going broke.”

“I’m hopeful that when we get to the debt ceiling that one of the things we look at is getting real reforms on Social Security and Medicare,” he said. “That’s something we can solve.”

“We’ve been fighting over Social Security for 30 years,” Caldwell replied. “I’m talking about the things that we see, the breaking of the law, the throwing away of our Constitutional rights.”

“The commander-in-chief, in my opinion, has broken the law several times,” Hudson said, and shouts of “impeach him” rose up.

“We can offer impeachment,” Hudson said. “We can do that. It’d probably pass the House.”

“What are you waiting for?” someone shouted.

“I appreciate your passion,” Hudson said. “And trust me, I share it. But if we do that, it’s not going to pass the Senate, and we will absolutely use up every bit of energy we’ve got. …”

Someone shouted that Republicans keep trying to kill Obamacare even though it won’t pass the Senate. Hudson responded by saying Republicans actually have some leverage on the implementation of Obamacare, but trying to impeach Obama would be a waste of time.

Hudson was scheduled to visit UNC-Charlotte and host another town hall meeting in Davidson County on Tuesday.

Independent Tribune, By Tim Reaves