GOP Congressmen Blast Clinton Plan at Town Meeting : Forum: Hundreds attend event held by O.C. House members, which was part of a nationwide effort to encourage opposition to President’s economic package.

A panel of five Orange County Republican congressmen attacked President Clinton’s economic package Saturday as they led an overflow town meeting audience in a spirited rally against higher taxes.

It was the first time in years that five local congressmen have hosted a public forum and it underscored the effect Clinton’s unpopular economic proposals have had on unifying the GOP.

More than 400 people packed an auditorium at Golden West College to hear the three-hour presentation and several hundred more stood in a courtyard outside where loudspeakers were positioned for the excess crowd.

The message from the House members was a resounding rejection of the President’s combined plan for spending cuts and higher taxes. And their pitch was met with hearty and consistent applause. The few questioners who challenged the Republican line were shouted down by the audience.

“We don’t have deficits because we are not taxed enough,” freshman Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) said to applause. “We have deficits because Congress spends too much.”

Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) added: “This is a critical time in our nation’s history. . . . There is good reason for people to be skeptical about the majority (Democrats) in Congress because they are carrying on business as usual under the guise of change.”

The panel also included Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach); Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) and Ron Packard (R-Oceanside). Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar), whose district includes Yorba Linda, was the only Orange County representative not present.

The forum was part of a nationwide effort by Republican leaders in Washington that included similar events hosted on Saturday by House members throughout the country. The town meeting, a favorite vehicle of Clinton’s, was adopted by the GOP to encourage grass-roots opposition to the President’s economic package.

At the Orange County forum, which was broadcast nationwide on C-SPAN, a chief target for complaints were the problems caused by illegal immigration. Rohrabacher, who raised the issue, suggested that a cutback in the services provided to illegal immigrants should replace the higher taxes in Clinton’s economic plan.

“Illegal immigration is costing us billions and billions of dollars,” he said. “Before they ask for more money from our pockets, let’s see more reform in that area.”

The same sentiment was echoed by several of the questioners from the audience. One man said: “My father came here through Ellis Island, he didn’t swim here.”

Latino community leaders are concerned about the increasing hostility toward illegal immigrants.

“They’re going after people’s nightmares instead of going after people’s hopes and dreams,” Art Montez, Orange County head of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said of the Saturday forum.

The common enemy for the congressional panel, however, was Democrats. The lawmakers chided their opponents for struggling to pass legislation even though Democrats hold the White House and control the House and Senate. And while they acknowledged the poor public image of politicians, they said the blame belonged to those in control.

Dornan held up a stretch of yellow police tape, suggesting that it be placed around the U.S. Capitol because it is a “crime scene.”

“I work inside the crime scene, but the five of us are inside doing the best we can to hold down the damage,” he said.

Cox, who is considering a campaign next year against Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also called attention to the unifying effect of Clinton’s unpopularity.

“I think the change that Bill Clinton is bringing to Washington is ironic because he’s going to bring a Republican Senate next year,” he said.