March 23, 2008 07:36 PM UTC

Schaffer runs on... leaving office?

• 2 Comments
• by: Go Blue

Fromt today’s Denver Post

Bob Schaffer spent six years in Congress and says his top political accomplishment was leaving office.

In addition to keeping a promise to voters that he’d serve only three U.S. House terms, the former congressman quickly added that he’s also proud of his record on agriculture, education and the economy.

“It’s the whole package,” Schaffer said.

YOUR biggest accomplishment was leaving office and going to work for Alex Cranberg.

“Bob Schaffer spent six years in Congress getting nothing done for Colorado and doing everything that the oil and gas industry asked him,” said Taylor West, spokeswoman for Udall’s campaign. “Then he cashed in with a six-figure job in oil and gas.”

Schaffer went to work for Aspect Energy after leaving office, earning an annual salary of $246,666 in 2007.

During his time in Congress, Bob suited up for the GOP Theme Team. For Bob, it wasn’t about being right or wrong, but about ideology. This explains why he’s more extreme than Dick Cheney.

During all six years, Schaffer was part of the “GOP Theme Team,” a group of 30 to 40 House Republicans that worked to create what he described as a “coherent and consistent message” for the party. Each week, Schaffer said, they talked about upcoming legislation and brainstormed ways to push their points during floor debates.

He didn’t try to persuade other lawmakers to vote a certain way, Schaffer said. But if they agreed with his position, he said, he could tell them how to form their arguments, particularly on education issues.

From his experience bench warming for the Neo-Con Theme Team, Bob is trying to reframe the debate to make his extreme agenda look like it’s… 100% Colorado?

In Fort Collins, Schaffer was seen as “to the right of the center of the party,” said John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University.

Asked to describe himself politically, Schaffer said “100 percent Colorado.” Asked how voting with the GOP position most of the time fit with “100 percent Colorado,” Schaffer said, “If you vote for your state and others tend to agree with you, that’s what you want.”

He later said, “I’m a conservative. I’m a Bill Owens, John McCain conservative,” then added “throw Ronald Reagan into the mix too.”

Schaffer in October 2002 voted for authorizing the use of force in Iraq. He left Congress before many of the subsequent votes on funding the war or attempting to shift strategy.

If he was a Democrat this vote would be a tv ad against Bob for (flash a photo of Bin Laden with scary music in the background) voting against keeping you safe!

In several cases, Schaffer was among small groups of dissenters voting against legislation.

In November 2001 he was one of nine lawmakers who voted against the post- 9/11 plan to beef up airline security. It approved inspection of all bags and a federal takeover of air security.

For more of his record go to Bob Schaffer on the Issues

Regardless of what Dick “let the crap flow” Wadhams does to spin the media attention away from BS’s record, Bob Schaffer will still be the most extreme candidate running for Senate in the United States.

And in the spirit of the Colbert Report, a poll on Schaffer’s “100% Colorado” record.

 Loading ...