Bob Schaffer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 4th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Wayne Allard
Succeeded by	Marilyn Musgrave
Member of the Colorado State Board of Education from the 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 11, 2006[1]
Born	July 24, 1962 (1962-07-24) (age 45) Cincinnati, Ohio
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Maureen Schaffer
Religion	Roman Catholic

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). The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The 4th Congressional district of Colorado is located in eastern Colorado, encompassing most of Colorado's rural eastern plains, as well as the larger cities Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Alan Wayne Allard (born December 2, 1943) is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Republican Party. Marilyn Neoma Musgrave (born January 27, 1949) American politician has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives The Colorado State Board of Education is a government body in the U The 4th Congressional district of Colorado is located in eastern Colorado, encompassing most of Colorado's rural eastern plains, as well as the larger cities Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. In 2004, Schaffer lost in the primary election to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. A primary election ( nominating primary) also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a Jurisdiction select candidates The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives He is now a candidate for Colorado's other Senate seat in the 2008 election. Elections for the United States Senate will be held on November 4 2008 with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested

Biography

Bob Schaffer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 24, 1962 and attended Archbishop Moeller High School. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Archbishop Moeller High School (often known as Moeller, ˈmolɚ is a private all-male, comprehensive, college-preparatory high school He received his B. A. in Political Science at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio (1984). The University of Dayton (abbreviated UD) is a private Catholic University operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton Ohio Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the County seat and largest city of Montgomery County.

Schaffer lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his wife, Maureen, and their five children, Emily and Jenny (twins), Justin, Sarah and Mary. The City of Fort Collins, a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache la Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, is the County seat The Schaffers are Roman Catholic and attend St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

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. A doctorate is an Academic degree that indicates the highest level of academic achievement Colorado Technical University (CTU is a system of proprietary For-profit colleges in the United States providing career training, accredited programs

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 nine years as a Colorado State Senator in the Colorado General Assembly. A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the Upper house in the Bicameral legislature of 49 U The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado. 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 was also 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 were in regular view of visiting children -- that contained pamphlets describing "unsafe sexual practices. " [1]

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. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The 4th Congressional district of Colorado is located in eastern Colorado, encompassing most of Colorado's rural eastern plains, as well as the larger cities Alan Wayne Allard (born December 2, 1943) is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Republican Party. George Hanks "Hank" Brown (born February 12, 1940) is a former Republican politician and Senator from Colorado who served

Congressional highlights

• Schaffer introduced the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Balanced Budget Amendment is any one of various proposed amendments to the United States Constitution which would require a balance in the projected Revenues The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States.
• 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. In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States
• He is an advocate for Ukraine and was a co-chair of Ukraine Caucus. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe.
• 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. C-SPAN (officially the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) is an American Cable television network dedicated to airing non-stop coverage The Republican Study Committee is a Caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. Conservatism in the United States includes a variety of political ideologies including Fiscal conservatism, Supply-side economics, Social conservatism

Schaffer served three terms in Congress, fulfilling the three term pledge he made during his first Congressional campaign. ^[2] Schaffer upheld his pledge in spite of pleas from national Republicans and President George W. Bush to run for another term. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. [2] Upon his retirement from Congress, he was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope John Paul II. Pope He was succeeded by Marilyn Musgrave in January 2003. Marilyn Neoma Musgrave (born January 27, 1949) American politician has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives

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. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Benjamin Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933) is an American politician. Brewing magnate Pete Coors opposed Schaffer. Peter Hanson Coors (born September 20 1946 is a US businessman and Entrepreneur. Coors entered the bitter primary battle after Schaffer faced down potential contenders such as David Liniger, founder of ReMax. A primary election ( nominating primary) also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a Jurisdiction select candidates RE/MAX International is an international Real estate company It was founded in 1973 by David and Gail Liniger in Denver Colorado 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. Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American politician, rancher and environmentalist from the U 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 [3]

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. 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 Public education is education mandated for or offered to the children of the general public by the Government, whether national regional or local provided by an institution Schaffer is a trustee of Yorktown University. Trustee is a Legal term that refers to a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. ^[3] He is also Chairman of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, a Colorado group providing political organizational training. ^[4] Schaffer was also an opinion columnist for the now-defunct Northern Colorado Courier.

In March 2005, Schaffer was elected Republican National Committeeman for Colorado. The Republican National Committee (RNC provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States.

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. The 4th Congressional district of Colorado is located in eastern Colorado, encompassing most of Colorado's rural eastern plains, as well as the larger cities He successfully ran for the seat in 2006, against Democrat Tom Griggs. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Schaffer is the Vice Chairman.

He is the Colorado Chairman of the Judicial Confirmation Network.

In 2006, Bob Schaffer founded Dreamsoft Colorado, LLC^[5], 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

Schaffer is currently running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican to replace retiring Senator Wayne Allard in the 2008 election. The Colorado US Senate Election of 2008 will be held on November 4, 2008. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Alan Wayne Allard (born December 2, 1943) is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Republican Party. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common 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^[6] in Boulder that he would run for U. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. S. Senate to a group of over 150 Republicans attending a fundraising event. Recently, a Rasmussen Reports Poll came out, showing Bob Schaffer in a virtual tie with likely Democratic nominee Mark Udall. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Mark Emery Udall (born July 18 1950) American politician has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives ^[7]

Criticisms and controversies

Campaign ad controversy

In April 2008, a Virginia group airing ads on Schaffer's behalf was accused of violating federal election law^[8] 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. ^[9] The ad buy was criticized by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal activist group which "targets almost exclusively Republicans. "^[10]

Environmental record

In 2008 the League of Conservation Voters named former Colorado Republican Representative "Dirty Dozen" member number three because of accusations of an anti-environmental record during his tenure in Congress. ^[11] The League of Conservation Voters is a partner of America Votes, a liberal activist organization whose president from April, 2006 until June, 2007 was Maggie L. Fox, the wife of Mark Udall, Bob Schaffer's opponent in the 2008 U. Mark Emery Udall (born July 18 1950) American politician has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives S. Senate race in Colorado. ^[12][13]

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. ^[14] Republicans argued that the bill would help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. ^[15]

Mariana Islands trip

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

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 — organized by the non-profit Traditional Values Coalition — to look over allegations of poor labor conditions and "forced abortions", the latter of which was the primary concern of the Traditional Values Coalition. The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning The Traditional Values Coalition (aka TVC is a Christian Right organization that represents by its estimate over 43000 Christian churches throughout the 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, but there is no evidence that Schaffer was aware of any such connection. Jack Abramoff (born February 28 1959 is a former Lobbyist, and a businessman who was a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals. ^[16] 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. A seaside resort is a Resort located on the Coast. Where a Beach is the primary focus for Tourists it may be called a beach resort Parasailing also known as parascending is a recreational activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat while attached to a specially designed 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 an Interior Department investigation concluded that pregnant women were forced to have abortions to keep their jobs and some were forced into prostitution. In law a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a Court in which the party commencing the action the Plaintiff, seeks a legal or equitable remedy A sweatshop is a working environment with very difficult or dangerous conditions usually where the workers have few rights or ways to address their situation An Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. ^[17] However, corruption within the Department of Interior at the time casts doubt on their "investigation. "^[18] Furthermore, claims of "forced abortion" appear to have been wildly exaggerated if not outright fabricated. In his own interviews with workers, clergy, government officials, and social workers, Bob Schaffer was unable to find any known case of a forced abortion in the Northern Marianas,^[19] the only area of the United States where abortion is banned by their local constitution. ^[20][21]

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. ^[22] 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. WORLD Magazine is a biweekly Christian news magazine, published in the United States of America, and based in Asheville, S. -based labor unions who are attempting to eliminate competition. ^[23] 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. Overview See also Ethical aspects of abortion Pro-life individuals generally believe that human life should be valued either from conception or Implantation "^[24]

References

External links

• Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate, Campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Guide to the Papers of Congressman Bob Schaffer
• Ukraine.Com
• Online Voting Record
• National Review, Interview re: Ukraine
• USA Today: Salazar Defeats Coors for Colorado Senate Seat
• American Prospect: Purple People Watch
• Rep. Bob Schaffer to Retire