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Bob Schaffer for Senate - Because Character Matters

March 29, 2008 |  Tagged , , , |

Former congressman Bob Schaffer is running for the Colorado U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Wayne Allard(R) in November against Colorado congressman Mark Udall(D-Eldorado Springs). Schaffer lost in the primary against Pete Coors for the other seat that eventually went to Ken Salazar(D).

Rebecca Boyle reporting for Fort Collins:Now tells about a time back in 2001 when President Bush was visiting Colorado. The President asked Schaffer to join him in the presidential limosine. He impressed upon Schaffer to run for re-election against his own self-imposed term limits promise.

“He said, ‘Bobby, I heard a bad rumor,’” Schaffer said, affecting a raspy, Bush-like twang. “‘I hear you’re gonna leave the Congress.’”

“Well, I hadn’t really come to that point yet,” Schaffer said. He had planned it, but the decision hadn’t been announced.

Bush said he knew about Schaffer’s term limits pledge.

“He said, ‘Well, you should break it, because the last thing I need is another open seat to worry about,’” Schaffer recalled.

“And he said, he actually used the words, ‘It’s your patriotic duty.’ Well, that’s about as flattering as it gets,” Schaffer said. “All I could think was, ‘My mom is an immigrant. And here is her son, sitting in the car with the president of the United States.’ All I could think of was that my grandfather would never believe this. Only in America can the grandson of a Ukrainian peasant be sitting in the car with the president of the United States, considering whether to run again for the U.S. House of Representatives, and I’m about to tell him no.”

And say no he did. He explained his promise to his constituents — 70 percent of whom had voted for a (eventually overturned) statewide measure to term-limit Colorado’s congressional delegation — and he talked about his kids.

As Bush waved out the window, Schaffer discussed his responsibility as a parent of five, and how his then-12-year-old son would remember if his dad didn’t keep his word.

It would have been easy for Schaffer to make excuses for running for another term. He’d talk about the need to continue his work, to keep the House in Republican hands, even a personal plea from the President. But no, his word was more important to him than all these other things. He recognized the importance of being an example of honesty to his constituents, and more importantly his children.

Bob Schaffer is a strong advocate for life. His work in the area of education in Colorado has made a huge difference. He was instrumental in creating the Core Knowledge curiculum used in northern Colorado schools (one of which my thirteen-year-old son attends). It emphasizes core subjects (including the arts) above all else. The children at these schools score well above their peers at other local schools. He is also a champion of vouchers and school choice (which we have in Colorado).

I highly recommend that everyone read the article linked above. It tells much more about this great American servant. I also recommend that if you’re looking for a place to make a difference with your political donations, donating to Schaffer’s campaign will be money well spent. Mark Udall is an ultra-liberal and has raised more than 1 1/2 times as much money to date as Schaffer. This is an important seat to keep in Republican hands, especially since the other seat in Colorado is already kept by a Democrat.


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