Joshua Lindsey/Daily News U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (center), R-Ky., shares a laugh Saturday with state Sen. Mike Wilson (left), R-Bowling Green, and state Sen. Sara Beth Gregory, R-Monticello, before the Southern Kentucky Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green.

Republicans criticized U.S. spending, the Affordable Care Act and government entitlements Saturday night during the Southern Kentucky Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center.

Several hundred people turned out for the annual event, which featured U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie. The Republican Party of Warren County hosted the event.

The lineup of speakers excited Warren County Magistrate Doc Kaelin, who’s been coming to the local Lincoln-Reagan dinner for more than 20 years.

“Two of them are from Bowling Green,” Kaelin said. “How much more exciting can that get for Warren County?”

Paul, who spoke first, criticized the decision to send government aid to Egypt, which he called counterproductive because the U.S. had to borrow money to do so. “Why do we continue to send weapons to a country that’s in chaos?” Paul asked.

He also opposed arming Islamic rebels in the Middle East, because he said the rebels are on the same side as al-Qaida and could be using the weapons to kill Christians.

“We have to be smarter about our expenditures and making ends meet without borrowing money,” Paul said.

Another spending item he disagreed with was giving $8 million to Fargo, N.D., for national security. Paul said money should be spent on national security, but with a focus on larger cities such as New York City and Los Angeles. 

“When the terrorists get to Fargo, we might as well give up,” he said.

Paul said the U.S. needs to gets its spending under control.

“If we keep going at this rate, how are we going to make it as a country?” he asked.

McConnell spent much of his address talking about the 2014 U.S. Senate race as he’s seeks re-election. He told the crowd that it matters who runs the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats.

“We’ve got a pretty good team representing Kentucky, and maybe someday I’ll get to be the offensive coordinator instead of the defensive coordinator,” McConnell said.

Campaigning has started for next year’s Senate race. Louisville businessman Matt Bevin is challenging McConnell for the GOP nomination, and several Democrats have announced their candidacy, including Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

“This is going to be a big race. Get used to it,” McConnell said. “Every crazy left-winger in Kentucky wants to take me on.”

He vowed that his top priority, if elected majority leader, would be repealing the Affordable Care Act, which he and Republican colleagues warned from the start would be a disaster. It has been referred to as Obamacare.

“We said it would cause premiums to go up and people to lose their jobs,” McConnell said. “All of it’s coming to pass. Every single thing we predicted is happening. You make me majority leader, we’ll repeal it root and branch.”

McConnell said the Obama administration has been bad for the entire country, but especially for Kentucky because of the president’s environmental policy that McConnell sees as an attack on the coal industry.

“A war on coal is a war on Kentucky, and we intend to fight this war they’ve brought to our doorstep,” he said.

Guthrie thanked the audience for allowing him to work in the U.S. Capitol, which he said inspires him to solve problems. But he cautioned that not all problems can be solved through government intervention.

“When government gets so big, it gets hard to manage,” he said.

Big government is partly to blame for Detroit’s bankruptcy, which broke his heart because his father worked in the auto industry, Guthrie said.

“It’s just absolutely sad,” he said. “It’s because of the way the government’s run.”

He said he’s working to reform government entitlements, which he sees as a moral issue. “Getting a check from the government doesn’t improve your life. … Welfare traps people,” Guthrie said.

Several state representatives also spoke during the dinner, including Rep. C.B. Embry, R-Morgantown; Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Brownsville; and Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green.

Harold Biebel of Bowling Green attended the event for the first time. He’s a registered Republican and wanted to hear from the politicians.

“I thought it would be a fun activity to come and see it live,” he said. “We just came to see them face to face and be with a group of people we identify with.”

Bowling Green City Commissioner Rick Williams, who serves on the Republican Executive Committee for Warren County, was pleased with the turnout. “It’s a good showing, and it seems like everyone’s in a good mood,” he said. 

He enjoys coming to the dinner each year and hearing about upcoming legislative plans straight from the lawmakers.

“You get to see a lot of faces that maybe you don’t see throughout the year and hear from those who are making public policy for us,” Williams said.

— Laurel Wilson covers faith and general assignments for the Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/FaithinBG or visit bgdailynews.com.