Tuesday, February 12, 2008

? for U.S. Senate? Here's a look at the themes Bob Schaffer hopes to use to win Wayne Allard's seat in the U.S. Senate, from The Denver Post. From the article: In 2004, Schaffer was fighting a bitter primary battle against a wealthy beer scion across the terrain of values conservatism. As he attacked from the right, the primary became a fight over abortion, "nearly pornographic" beer ads and homosexuals' lifestyle. Four years later, with the GOP battered by successive primary battles in statewide races and a bitter fight over a "time out" from the spending limits of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, Schaffer is reinventing himself as a party healer as he seeks the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Wayne Allard. His tone has changed, and the social wedge issues are gone. Instead, he hammers the kinds of themes that potentially can bring together Chamber of Commerce Republicans and the party's grass roots -- fiscal discipline, smaller government and seeing Iraq through... Although Democrats have complained Schaffer is ducking the issues, he's actually having a sustained political conversation -- just not with them. Schaffer has been touring the state for months, giving speeches to rooms of Republicans and working to convince doubters he's not the political bomb-thrower some of them think he is... Even after the primary loss, Schaffer stuck to his role as the party's conservative bulwark. Ten days before the 2004 general election, he sent a letter to constituents of moderate Republican state Rep. Ramey Johnson, attacking her for being too soft on vouchers and earning a stiff rebuke from Jefferson County Republicans, who claimed Schaffer cost Johnson her seat. Then came the battle to pass Referendum C, which suspended TABOR limits for five years and which badly divided business Republicans from ideological conservatives, Schaffer among them. But being out of power has focused state Republicans' minds, and many seem to be ready to put old differences aside in order to win. Late last year, Owens sent out a fundraising letter on Schaffer's behalf, a move as much about party reconciliation as about money. "That sent a very clear message. (Schaffer's) our candidate," Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams said. As part of that strategy, party leaders also appear to have called a truce in the culture wars. Moderate groups say they've had conversations with Wadhams about Schaffer and his candidacy -- and come away reassured... Walk Klein, Schaffer's campaign manager, emphasized that Schaffer hasn't changed any of his positions. Schaffer is against abortion and gay marriage, Klein said, but don't expect a Sen. Schaffer to spend his time sponsoring legislation around those issues. "It's not at the top of his agenda," Klein said. "If (Democrats) want to spend millions of dollars saying Bob is a puppet of Focus on the Family ... they're going to be wasting their money. What Bob is going to be doing is talking about the issues that people in Colorado care about." David Sprecace, a former state House candidate and board member for a Republican abortion-rights group, said it won't be easy for Schaffer to win over GOP moderates. Schaffer, he said, "has a long conservative record, and it's hard to flip-flop on that." If he could give Schaffer advice, Sprecace said it would be this: "Lay off the social issues. The party is now trying to get back to core issues. If you want strong economies, if you want to stimulate jobs, then vote Republican." Category: Denver November 2008 Election 7:17:03 AM

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