Bob Schaffer
Encyclopedia
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 was also a candidate for Colorado's other Senate seat in the 2008 election
, which he lost to Senator Mark Udall
.
and attended Archbishop Moeller High School. The son of public-school teachers, Schaffer worked his way through college as a farm hand. In 1984, he graduated from the University of Dayton
with a B.A.
in Political Science. He was later awarded 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.
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."
, succeeding Wayne Allard
and Hank Brown
.
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. He was succeeded by Marilyn Musgrave
in January 2003.
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 Committee
man 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 coterminous 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.
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, and eventual U.S. Senator Ken Salazar
in the 2004 General Election
. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/12/politics/main611406.shtml?source=search_story
. He lost to Mark Udall
, the Democratic nominee.
On May 9, 2007, Schaffer filed his official statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission. On May 12, 2007, he 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.
On September 28, 2008, Udall and Schaffer appeared on Meet the Press
's Senate Debate series, discussing the proposed bailout of the U.S. financial system.
by his association with the Traditional Values Coalition
. The organization was used by Jack Abramoff
to pay for the trip of the then-Congressman to visit the island. The Denver Post reported that the TVC paid the $13,000 travel bill for the trip, organized by Abramoff's lobbying firm.
The congressional junkets to the Mariana Islands were designed to build support in Congress among Republican lawmakers to block labor and immigration legislation for the islands, which had been found to harbor squalid working conditions and abusive labor practices, including child prostitution and forced abortion
s.
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 TVC, 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."
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the State of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the 105th Congress
105th United States Congress
The One Hundred Fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1997 to January 3, 1999, during the fifth and...
and the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1997 to January 3, 2003). In 2004, Schaffer lost in the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. He was also a candidate for Colorado's other Senate seat in the 2008 election
United States Senate elections, 2008
Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats were regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Senate Class II...
, which he lost to Senator Mark Udall
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the...
.
Biography
Bob Schaffer was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
and attended Archbishop Moeller High School. The son of public-school teachers, Schaffer worked his way through college as a farm hand. In 1984, he graduated from the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science. He was later awarded an honorary doctorate in Management from Colorado Technical University
Colorado Technical University
Colorado Technical University is a for-profit university in the United States. Founded in 1965, CTU offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in a number of subjects, focused primarily in the business, management, and technology disciplines...
.
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 SenatorState Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
in the Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
. 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."
U.S. Congressman
Schaffer was first elected to U.S. Congress in November 1996 representing Colorado's 4th congressional districtColorado's 4th congressional district
Colorado's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district encompasses most of the rural Eastern Plains as well as the larger cities of Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland and Longmont along Colorado's Front...
, succeeding Wayne Allard
Wayne Allard
Alan Wayne Allard is a member of the Republican Party, and was a United States Senator from Colorado. He did not seek re-election in 2008.-Early life:...
and Hank Brown
Hank Brown
George Hanks "Hank" Brown is a former Republican politician and U.S. Senator from Colorado who served as president of the University of Colorado system from April 2005 - January 2008.-Education:...
.
Congressional highlights
- Schaffer introduced the proposed Balanced Budget AmendmentBalanced Budget AmendmentA balanced-budget amendment is a constitutional rule requiring that the state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government....
to the U.S. Constitution. - Schaffer was selected by his freshman colleagues to be president of the 1996 Republican class.
- He served on three House Committees: Agriculture, Resources, and Education and Labor.
- He was an advocate for UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
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-SpanC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
.
- He was an active member of the Republican Study CommitteeRepublican Study CommitteeThe Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
(RSC), a caucusCaucusA caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
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
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to run for another term. He was succeeded by Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Neoma Musgrave , American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who served from 2003 to 2009, representing the 4th District of Colorado....
in January 2003.
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 choiceSchool choice
School choice is a term used to describe a wide array of programs aimed at giving families the opportunity to choose the school their children will attend. As a matter of form, school choice does not give preference to one form of schooling or another, rather manifests itself whenever a student...
reform in Colorado's public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
system, and is active in the state’s transformation to a market-driven education system. Schaffer is a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
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 Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
man for Colorado.
Schaffer was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Colorado State Board of Education
Colorado State Board of Education
The Colorado State Board of Education is a government body in the U.S. state of Colorado tasked with "general supervision of public schools." It is composed of members elected from districts corresponding to Colorado's congressional districts – following the 2000 census, there are seven districts...
by a party vacancy committee, representing a district that is coterminous with the state's Fourth Congressional District
Colorado's 4th congressional district
Colorado's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district encompasses most of the rural Eastern Plains as well as the larger cities of Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland and Longmont along Colorado's Front...
. He successfully ran for the seat in 2006, against Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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.
2004 U.S. Senate race
In 2004, Schaffer contended for the Republican nomination to the U.S. SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
after incumbent Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Benjamin Nighthorse Campbell is an American politician. He was a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005 and was during his tenure the only American Indian serving in the U.S. Congress. Campbell was a three term U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1993, when he was sworn into office as a...
chose not to run for re-election. Brewing magnate Pete Coors
Pete Coors
Peter Hanson Coors is a U.S. businessman and entrepreneur. He currently is the Chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Company and Chairman of MillerCoors, a joint operating venture, announced October 9, 2007 and completed June 30, 2008. Molson Coors headquarters are located in Colorado and...
opposed Schaffer. Coors entered the bitter primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
battle after Schaffer faced down potential contenders such as David Liniger, founder of ReMax. The nomination battle concluded when Coors won the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination over Schaffer with 61% of the vote. Coors went on to lose to Democratic candidate, and eventual U.S. Senator Ken Salazar
Ken Salazar
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
in the 2004 General Election
United States Senate elections, 2004
The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998,...
. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/12/politics/main611406.shtml?source=search_story
2008 U.S. Senate election
Schaffer was the Republican nominee for the open seat of retiring Senator Wayne AllardWayne Allard
Alan Wayne Allard is a member of the Republican Party, and was a United States Senator from Colorado. He did not seek re-election in 2008.-Early life:...
. He lost to Mark Udall
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the...
, the Democratic nominee.
On May 9, 2007, Schaffer filed his official statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission. On May 12, 2007, he 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.
On September 28, 2008, Udall and Schaffer appeared on Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
's Senate Debate series, discussing the proposed bailout of the U.S. financial system.
Political positions
Schaffer's positions on various issues are:- Growing a stronger economy by lowering the tax burden on all Americans and curbing wasteful federal spending.
- Achieving energy independence by broadening the incentives, research and investment in renewable energy science, production, conservation and improved development of American-based conventional energy resources.
- Protecting the environment.
- Reforming education.
- Strong national defense by maintaining the best-equipped, best-trained and most professional military in the world.
- Creating a 21st century health care system, by ensuring users can make their own choices, not have a government worker or an insurance agent interfering in their relationship with their doctor.
- Promoting Colorado agriculture and fighting for Colorado water rights.
Political opposition
In 2008, the League of Conservation Voters named Schaffer a member of its "Dirty Dozen" because of an anti-environmental record during his tenure in Congress. In 2001, then-congressman Schaffer, voted for 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.Endorsements
- Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on October 9, 2008
- The Pueblo Chieftain on October 17, 2008
Link to the Jack Abramoff Scandals
Schaffer was linked to the Mariana Islands worker abuse scandalJack Abramoff CNMI scandal
The Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal involves the efforts of Jack Abramoff, other lobbyists, and government officials to change or prevent, or both, Congressional action regarding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and businesses on Saipan, its capital, commercial center, and one of its...
by his association with the Traditional Values Coalition
Traditional Values Coalition
The Traditional Values Coalition is a conservative Christian organization that represents, by its estimate, over 43,000 Christian churches throughout the United States of America...
. The organization was used by Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
to pay for the trip of the then-Congressman to visit the island. The Denver Post reported that the TVC paid the $13,000 travel bill for the trip, organized by Abramoff's lobbying firm.
Abramoff's lobbying team would prepare questions and "factual backup" for friendly lawmakers. Trips to the island for congressmen and staff would be a key tool to "build permanent friends," the memo said.
The congressional junkets to the Mariana Islands were designed to build support in Congress among Republican lawmakers to block labor and immigration legislation for the islands, which had been found to harbor squalid working conditions and abusive labor practices, including child prostitution and forced abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s.
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
World (magazine)
WORLD Magazine is a biweekly Christian news magazine, published in the United States of America by God's World Publications, a non-profit 501 organization based in Asheville, North Carolina. WORLD differs from most other news magazines in that its declared perspective is one of conservative...
magazine article that mainly sourced Andrea Sheldon of the TVC, 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
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
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."
External links
- Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate campaign website
- Scott Political, political consulting and ad firm used during his campaign
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
CongresspediaCongresspediaCongresspedia was a wiki that ran from April 2006 to March 2009, designed to hold information on the workings of the U.S. Congress. It was fully contained within SourceWatch, a larger wiki meant to document the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. The Congresspedia portion of... - Colleen M. McCorkell, Guide to the Papers of Congressman Bob Schaffer from Colorado State UniversityColorado State UniversityColorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
- Ukraine.Com
- Candidate Bio and Info at votimus.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