''As we have seen in recent days, opponents are pulling out all stops to kill the reform effort. This is a shame,'' Harkin said.
But his words didn't stop some in the estimated crowd of 200 from disrupting the meeting, where uniformed police officers were present. Des Moines police said no one was arrested.
At one point, a man from the audience yelled: ''This is not health reform, this is control, control over our lives.''
Harkin responded to one man shouting criticisms by saying, ''As I said, there is a nationally coordinated effort to disrupt these meetings.''
The man responded that no one had sent him to the meeting.
Similar exchanges have recently taken place at town halls nationwide, as Democratic lawmakers return home for the August recess to rally support for President Barack Obama's top domestic priority -- revamping a costly health care system that leaves millions without insurance.
The tension over pending health care reform legislation boiled over at other meetings Saturday.
Hundreds of people crowded into a meeting in Memphis hosted by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn. The forum was scheduled to address constituents' concerns about Social Security and veterans' benefits, but it quickly turned into a shouting match over health care reform.
Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter was at a grocery store in Brighton, Colo., on Saturday for informal chats with constituents. Some people protested the proposed health care overhaul and likened it to socialism.
- IF THE DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS PASS THIS THING, THEN THEY'RE TOAST IN 2010.
- IF THEY DON'T PASS IT, THEN OBAMA IS TOAST, NOW!
- IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR US!
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