On July 29, 2011, Lamborn appeared on a Denver radio program to discuss the debt crisis and the failure of Democrats and Republicans to reach a compromise on the problem. Lamborn stated "Now, I don't even want to have to be associated with President Obama. It's like touching a tar baby and you get it, you're stuck, and you're a part of the problem now and you can't get away." The term tar baby is sometimes considered to be a racial slur used towards African-Americans. Former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll, an African-American, replied, “Looking beyond the fact that Congressman Lamborn's entire comment is nonsensical, his use of the term 'tar baby' is unfortunate because the historical connotation of that term when used in conjunction with African Americans."