Bob Schaffer

Bob Schaffer
Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Colorado
Opponent	Mark Udall
Incumbent	Wayne Allard
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Maureen Schaffer

Robert Warren "Bob" Schaffer (born July 24, 1962) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Colorado in the 105th Congress and the two succeeding Congresses (January 3 1997 to January 3 2003). In 2004, Schaffer lost in the primary election to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. He is now a candidate for Colorado's other Senate seat in the 2008 election.

Biography

Bob Schaffer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 24 1962 and attended Archbishop Moeller High School. He received his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio (1984).

The son of retired public school educators, Schaffer worked his way through college as a farm hand, receiving his B.A. from the University of Dayton and an honorary doctorate in management from Colorado Technical University.

Prior to entering politics, Schaffer held a variety of jobs, including carpet layer, lifeguard, salmon cannery worker, legislative researcher, speechwriter, and small business owner. From 1989 to 1995, he owned and operated Northern Front Range Marketing and Distribution, a small marketing business serving Colorado’s tourism industry

Colorado State Senator

Schaffer served for nine years as a Colorado State Senator in the Colorado General Assembly. Schaffer was only 25 years old in 1987 when he was appointed to finish Colorado State Senator Jim Beatty's term, making Schaffer the youngest to serve in Colorado's Senate. As a Colorado Senator, he was Chairman of the Finance Committee, the State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and the Local Government Committee. Schaffer also was the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Schaffer was awarded the "National Republican Legislator of the Year for 1995" by the National Republican Legislators Association. In 1993, Schaffer made headlines when he removed a display from the Capitol -- that was in clear view of visiting children -- that contained pamphlets describing "unsafe sexual practices." [2]

U.S. Congressman

Schaffer was first elected to U.S. Congress in November 1996 representing Colorado's 4th congressional district, succeeding Wayne Allard and Hank Brown.

Congressional highlights

• Schaffer introduced the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• Schaffer was elected president of the 1996 Republican class, a post to which he was elected by his congressional colleagues.
• He served on three House Committees: Agriculture, Resources and the Education and the Workforce.
• He is an advocate for Ukraine and was a co-chair of Ukraine Caucus.
• He was a member of the GOP Theme Team, the "one-minute conservative debate squad", which can be seen nearly every morning on C-Span
• He was an active member of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a caucus of House Republicans organized to promote a conservative social and economic agenda.

Schaffer served three terms in Congress, fulfilling the three term pledge he made during his first Congressional campaign. Schaffer upheld his pledge in spite of pleas from national Republicans and President George W. Bush to run for another term.[3] Upon his retirement from Congress, he was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope John Paul II. He was succeeded by Marilyn Musgrave in January 2003.

2004 U.S. Senate race

In 2004, Schaffer contended for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate after incumbent Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell chose not to run for re-election. Brewing magnate Pete Coors opposed Schaffer. Coors entered the bitter primary battle after Schaffer faced down potential contenders such as David Liniger, founder of ReMax. The nomination battle concluded when Coors won the Republican nomination over Schaffer with 61% of the vote. Coors went on to lose to Democratic candidate Ken Salazar in the 2004 General Election. [4]

Post-2002 career

Schaffer is currently vice-president for business development at Aspect Energy, LLC., where he is involved in a variety of energy, mining and education projects. He served as president of the Parental Alliance for Choice in Education, a non-profit corporation promoting school choice reform in Colorado's public education system, and is active in the state’s transformation to a market-driven education system. Schaffer is a trustee of Yorktown University. He is also Chairman of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, a Colorado group providing political organizational training. Schaffer was also an opinion columnist for the now-defunct Northern Colorado Courier.

In March 2005, Schaffer was elected Republican National Committeeman for Colorado.

Schaffer was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Colorado State Board of Education by a party vacancy committee, representing a district that is contiguous with the state's Fourth Congressional District. He successfully ran for the seat in 2006, against Democrat Tom Griggs. Schaffer is the Vice Chairman.

He is the Colorado Chairman of the Judicial Confirmation Network.

In 2006, Bob Schaffer founded Dreamsoft Colorado, LLC, a firm that creates high-end interactive websites for business and political clients. He is also the President of AMDG LLC.

2008 U.S. Senate election

Main article: Colorado United States Senate election, 2008

Bob Schaffer is currently running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican to replace retiring Senator Wayne Allard in the 2008 election. On May 9, 2007, Bob Schaffer filed his official statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission, and on May 12, 2007 made an official announcement in Boulder that he would run for U.S. Senate to a group of over 150 Republicans attending a fundraising event.

A confidential memo drafted by a Democratic strategist described a proposal to raise $5.1 million in an effort to "define Schaffer/foot on throat."

Criticisms and controversies

Campaign ad controversy

In April 2008, an independent Virginia group airing ads on Schaffer's behalf was accused of violating federal election law by paying for a 2008 election video ad for Colorado Republican Schaffer while claiming that it did not endorse candidates. The video ad also did not include a required statement that said who paid for the content. The ad cost $470,000 to create and broadcast. The ad buy was criticized by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a self-described nonpartisan group which is dedicated to investigating improper actions by politicians . Schaffer himself was not accused of any wrongdoing, and federal election law prevents candidates from coordinating with independent expenditure organizations.

Environmental record

In 2008 the League of Conservation Voters named Schaffer a member of its "Dirty Dozen" (ranked number three) because of an anti-environmental record during his tenure in Congress. In 2001 Schaffer, as a Colorado Republican Representative, voted for Republican President Bush's energy plan that Democrats argued was a $33 billion gift to the oil corporations. Republicans argued that the bill would help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

Mariana Islands trip

See also: Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal

File:20080410 124935 cd10schaffer1.jpg

During their 1999 visit to the Mariana Islands, Bob Schaffer and his wife, Maureen, tried parasailing

In 1999 then-Congressman Schaffer took a fact-finding trip to the Northern Mariana Islands. Because the U.S. territories were exempt from Federal immigration and labor protection laws, widespread allegations of widespread labor abuses attracted congressional attention.

File:Schaffercnmi.jpg

Bob Schaffer, accompanied by his wife, said he visited more than 20 textile factories during the trip to investigate claims of labor violations.

Page 1 of 1999 memo by Schaffer staff member regarding Preston Gates involvement in trip planning.

An August 24, 1999 memo to Schaffer from his congressional staff indicates that his trip was organized by Preston Gates, a lobbying firm. The itinerary included meeting with Preston Gates clients at the island. The actual payment for the trip, however, was organized through the Traditional Values Coalition, a non-profit religious pressure group that has been categorized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. It has been alleged but not proven that the lobbying firm of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff paid the trip's $13,000 cost through the non-profit organization.

As a member of the House Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over CNMI policy, Schaffer was part of a lobbying strategy Abramoff deployed on behalf of his clients that involved more than 100 members of Congress, their families, and staff visiting the islands on free junkets. While on the islands, Schaffer's trip included a free stay at a beach resort for him and his wife as well as a parasailing excursion which was taken on Schaffer's personal time after four days of official work had been completed. While Schaffer concluded that the working conditions were fine at most of the garment factories he visited, he also reported to his Congressional committee problems with at least one factory; that factory was closed shortly after Schaffer's visit. A class-action lawsuit included accusations of sweatshop conditions and a 1998 report by the U.S. Office of Insular Affairs concluded that pregnant women were forced to have abortions to keep their jobs and some were forced into prostitution. However, the class action suit was brought by Milberg Weiss, whose co-founder along with three other senior partners were indicted in 2006 for paying kickbacks to plaintiffs for at least 25 years, continuing into 2005. All four men served or are serving time in prison.

"According to Miss Y, if the company found out a worker became pregnant, they would fire her and return her to China, where she would be 'forced to have an abortion.' Knowing this, workers who became pregnant either tried to self abort or find someone in Saipan to perform the abortion. Some women ran away and hid so they didn't have to have an abortion."

However, allegations of Hatch Act violations within the Department of the Interior has been used to cast doubt on the documentation of abuse. Schaffer claimed that he spoke with local clergy who denied there was a problem of forced abortions in the Northern Marianas, the only area of the United States where abortion is banned by their local constitution. After his return from the islands, Schaffer used his position on the Resources Committee to attack reports of abuses on the islands.

During his 2008 Senate campaign, Schaffer suggested that the Northern Marianas' guest worker program might serve as a model for U.S. national immigration policy, stirring further controversy. Schaffer was particularly impressed with their pre-qualifying foreign workers before they were allowed to immigrate to the CNMI. According to a 1998 World magazine article that mainly sourced Andrea Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition, some argued that the issues of the Northern Marianas labor, wage, and immigration laws are simply attacks by U.S.-based labor unions who are attempting to eliminate competition. Schaffer told the Denver Post, "The workers were smiling; they were happy." Schaffer also downplayed criticism from pro-life organizations that he participated in Abramoff's lobbying strategy to protect the sweatshop system by arguing, "In five days, I did not observe a forced abortion or meet anybody who had any knowledge of them."

Affiliation with indicted businessman

Bob Schaffer has come under increased scrutiny politically due to his service as a board member of the National Alternative Fuels Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Schaffer himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The organization was used as a front by Denver businessman Bill Orr to fraudulently solicit money from the federal government as well as individual investors. Orr obtained $3.6 million in federal money after purposefully misrepresenting research results to the government. Orr claimed to have developed a "Vapor Phase Combustion" fuel blend that was more efficient in automobiles and resulted in less emissions. Orr paid himself a half million dollars from the federal grant money. He was indicted by a federal grand jury for defrauding Congress.

Also indicted in the case was Scott Shires, who pleaded guilty to knowingly failing to file a tax return. Shires agreed to testify against Orr. According to the Schaffer for Senate campaign, Shires recruited Schaffer to serve as a board director of the NAFF from October 2004 until March 2005.

Controversy over son

In August 2008, Schaffer's son apologized for his Facebook page which contained offensive stickers. One was a picture of the Pyramids with the caption "Slavery Gets Shit Done", one was an image of Jesus holding an M-16 in front of a Confederate flag, and one was a photo of Barack Obama with the caption "High Five....Who's Gay!" Schaffer's son publicly stated, "The offensive materials directly contradict the values that my parents taught me and are forbidden in my parents' home. My Facebook page is solely my responsibility...." Congressman Schaffer and his wife said they "have initiated a process of firm and severe discipline with our son" and that any further conversations with their son about the issue would remain private.

External links

• Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Colleen M. McCorkell, Guide to the Papers of Congressman Bob Schaffer from Colorado State University
• Ukraine.Com
• Kathryn Jean Lopez, Go Orange! National Review, November 30, 2004, interview about Ukraine elections
• AP, Salazar Defeats Coors for Colorado Senate Seat USA Today, November 2, 2004
• Staff, Purple People Watch American Prospect, July 14, 2004
• Josh Hardin, Rep. Bob Schaffer to Retire The Rocky Mountain Collegian, November 27, 2001