New nickname for Big Oil Bob: "Sweatshop" Schaffer

Wow, Bob Schaffer really was a busy bee while in congress. Only problem is he didn't have a very good radar for who were his friends were and who were the felons:

Although he earned the reputation of a do-nothing congressman -- Schaffer's career intersected with the worst abuses of the Tom DeLay/Jack Abramoff era, and to enjoy the perks of the globetrotting legislator, Schaffer happily partook in the whitewashing of human rights abuses.

"Given that many Republican members, including Tom DeLay, Bob Ney and Conrad Burns, have lost their seat or gone to prison based on their association with this criminal, it's pretty remarkable that Schaffer seems to be proud of his association with these sleazy Abramoff-sponsored junkets," said Taylor West, a spokeswoman for Schaffer's Democratic opponent, Mark Udall.

In order to get a free trip to the beach, Bob Schaffer became a paid stooge for Jack Abramoff. The consequences? An elected representative to the United States Congress became an apologist for a "guest worker program is notorious around the world for forced abortion, slavery, child prostitution, sex trafficking, beatings, female workers kept in shacks with no plumbing surrounded by barbed wire...."

Not quite the family values you'd expect from a Republican.

Oh, wait, maybe those are exactly his values. Thanks, Bob, for clarifying your principles with an unprincipled trip on the Tom DeLay/Jack Abramoff lobbying dime.

Big Oil Bob Schaffer - The $33 Billion Dollar man

Is "Big Oil" Bob Schaffer going to be the name that sticks?

The League of Conservation Voters recently named Republican Bob Schaffer to its Dirty Dozen anti-environment list. I knew some of his history, but not this much:

“During his tenure in Congress, Bob Schaffer worked to get Big Oil $33 billion in tax breaks by supporting an energy bill written by Dick Cheney and the oil industry. After leaving the House, he went to work for Big Oil. Now he wants to return to Washington to work for them in the Senate,” said LCV Senior Vice President and Colorado native Tony Massaro.

Coloradans deserve a senator who works for them, not Big Oil.

Dirty Dozen Member # 3: Former Rep. Bob Schaffer

Bob Schaffer is a career politician turned oil executive. His anti-environmental record in Congress and his misplaced loyalties are clear. He has accepted more than $75,000 in donations from the oil and gas industry and was a major supporter of the Bush-Cheney energy plan, which doled out $33 billion in tax breaks for the energy industry. He has consistently voted against incentives for developing alternative fuel vehicles and has fought increased fuel efficiency standards for automobiles. He also has voted against increasing funding for energy efficiency and conservation programs.

In 2003 he supported Referendum A, a $4 billion blank check to the state legislature that would have raided Western Slope water for farms, ranches and people and delivered it to developers on the Front Range. As a member of the House he voted against enforcing arsenic and radon water standards and opposed protecting water from mining pollution. In addition, Schaffer argued in favor of allowing nuclear waste to be transported on Colorado highways.

“Every chance he had, Bob Schaffer sided with polluters, developers and Big Oil and against the environment and the health and safety of Coloradans,” Massaro concluded. “Time and time again, Bob Schaffer has proved that he is just too extreme for Colorado.”

Now, as an executive at Aspect Energy, Schaffer develops international oil and gas opportunities, including making oil deals in Iraq.

Is this the kind of leadership Coloradans want in their next US Senator? I doubt it. Even Republicans are irritated by their leaders' slavish devotion to Big Energy. And drilling all of Colorado will not get the country off its oil addiction. It will certainly make the oil and gas companies happy. But it won't make our citizens happy.

Bob Schaffer has shown which side of the game he's on: Billion$ in tax breaks for Big Oil, votes against better car gas mileage, hundreds of thousands in salary from Aspect Energy. All of these paint a clear picture of where Bob Schaffer's loyalties lie. Big Oil will come first; our citizens will be left to clean up the environment once the damage has been done and the resources burned.

Colorado deserves better than "Big Oil" Bob Schaffer representing us in the United States Senate.

Bob Schaffer: Still no views, nor time, nor button for the issues

Bob Schaffer - The (Other) Invisible Man

Bob Schaffer's going to play it safe and try not commit to any of the big issues facing us. And he's going to let the NRSC do his dirty work for him. Great vid from the DSCC:



Here are the details of the invisible man's bold stances on the issues:

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee today released a new web ad reminding voters that Bob Schaffer is trying to hide his extreme record by ducking and running from the major issues of the day. From children's healthcare to drilling on the Roan Plateau to expansion of Piñon Canyon, Bob Schaffer is bluntly refusing to say where he stands. Last month, the DSCC launched a website, www.BobSchafferOnTheIssues.com, so voters could find out where Schaffer stands on various issues, but there are still many questions surrounding his positions.

"Bob Schaffer must know that Coloradans won't embrace his brand of extremism, so he's decided to try and hide his positions on major issues instead," DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. "When your record is more extreme than even Tom Tancredo's it might be sound political strategy to hope voters won't figure that out, but it's not the kind of courageous leadership Coloradans want from their next Senator."

The web video can be viewed HERE.

Schaffer Acknowledged His Silence On Essential Issues. [ Denver Post, 10/18/07]

Schaffer Refused to Take a Stance on Children's Health Care. [ Denver Post, 10/18/07; Vote 982, 10/18/07]

Schaffer Says He Won't Take a Stand on Piñon Canyon Expansion Until Sometime Next Year. [ Pueblo Chieftain, 8/22/07]

The last thing Colorado needs is another Wayne Allard representing us in the United States Senate.