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.
But Schaffer, 45, runs with a limited House record as he campaigns for the Senate against Democratic Rep. Mark Udall of Eldorado Springs in a race expected to be one of the country's most competitive. During the Fort Collins Republican's three terms, he focused on a few key interests, with education reform topping the list. He voted the Republican line in most cases and worked with then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich to push GOP unanimity.
Democrats charge Schaffer was one of the House's most conservative members, taking extreme positions that put him in the minority of his own party. National Journal, in its listing for 1998, ranked him the 19th-most-conservative member in the House, and another ranking places him as the 14th-most-conservative member of Congress in the past 70 years. "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 authored two major bills that became laws. One transferred ownership of water distribution facilities to a Colorado water district; the other directed a federal study on improved outdoor recreational access for people with disabilities. He worked with Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat, on another bill that became law. It identified routes in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico as a high-priority transportation corridor called Ports to Plains...
Schaffer defended his record, saying that instead of authoring bills, he asked others to include Colorado-centric language in legislation. "I just wanted to put points on the board for the district," he said. "I had very little concern about who got the credit." Schaffer also said a term-limits pledge caps what a lawmaker can do because Congress rewards seniority. "You couldn't even think about being a subcommittee chair until you were into your fourth term," he said. "When you're a subcommittee chairman, the first thing you get to do is set the agenda. That's a huge advantage." He said he doesn't regret the pledge, "but I wouldn't do it again."[...]
Schaffer's Colorado-centered work in the next six years included helping negotiate language that would smooth passage of legislation creating the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area, said Sean Conway, chief of staff to Allard, who as a senator authored that bill. He helped pass a measure that paid farmers who left their land open instead of growing crops, and won money to expand Colorado National Guard bases and for construction of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facility in Fort Collins. "He literally got the administration to pay up; he got a $100 million commitment to build a whole new building," Conway said...
What Republican colleagues largely remember Schaffer for is his work on one issue.
"Bob was very active in education,"said former Rep. Scott McInnis, who represented the 3rd Congressional District when Schaffer was in the House. "School-choice issues," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Littleton Republican. "The only thing that stands out in my mind particularly is his interest in education and the education committee," former Rep. Hefley said. Schaffer, who is currently vice chairman of the State Board of Education, had run for Congress on a pledge to eliminate the federal Department of Education, as well as the Commerce, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development departments. "Bob didn't see much room for the federal government to be involved in education," said former Rep. William Goodling, R-Pa., who chaired the House education committee during Schaffer's first two terms...
With President Bush's election in 2000, Congress took up the No Child Left Behind education reform effort. Schaffer opposed much of the bill because it increased the federal role in public schools. "There were like 23 changes we made in the bill at his direction," said Boehner, who chaired the House education committee during Schaffer's final term. In the end, Schaffer voted against No Child Left Behind. "The school-choice provisions of the bill ... have been ripped out of the legislation," Schaffer said on the House floor in 2001. He introduced a bill in 2002 that would have created tax credits for parents who put their children in private schools. It passed out of a committee but never came to a vote on the floor. "Some of these ideas were pretty fundamental on the changes they would put in the education system," former Rep. McInnis said. "You're not going to get through in the first few years." Schaffer also sat on the Agriculture Committee and Resources Committee, which deals with public lands issues. Former Rep. Hefley also served on the Resources panel but said he doesn't recall much about what Schaffer did. "I just don't remember him being terribly engaged in the committee," Hefley said...
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...
Schaffer was seen as very conservative, even among Republicans, said Goodling, the former Pennsylvania congressman. Tancredo described Schaffer as a "strong fiscal conservative, a strong social conservative." 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 Rea gan 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. He offered legislation requiring a balanced budget. Through a congressional resolution, he proposed a constitutional amendment requiring the same. Both died in committee.
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. When the House that same year voted 407-3 to set up a toll-free number allowing people to check whether a product was American-made, Schaffer was one of the three votes against it. That bill died in the Senate. Schaffer said Americans deserve a "robust" security system with concern to travel and that "to consign such an important function exclusively to government was a step backwards." As for the toll-free number, he felt it was a waste of money and went so far as to tell constituents they could call him, and he would find out where the product was made. "I didn't receive a single call," Schaffer said. As a fiscal conservative, he frequently voted against spending bills, ranging from major ones funding federal departments to others funding veterans programs and student loans. Schaffer said he pushed agricultural issues as one of his priorities. Congress in 2002 passed a major farm bill, one that subsequently came under criticism for the price supports it gave farmers. The Colorado Farm Bureau, however, lauded Schaffer for his help...
The League of Conservation Voters put Schaffer on its "Dirty Dozen list" of lawmakers running for election in competitive 2008 races whom the group sees as most environmentally unfriendly. The group, which supports Udall in the Senate race, cited Schaffer's vote for President Bush and Vice President Cheney's 2002 energy plan. The House version of that, which did not become law because it was rewritten in the Senate, would have given $33 billion in tax breaks to oil, gas and coal companies, said Tony Massaro, League of Conservation Voters senior vice president. "It was dramatically spurring oil and gas drilling in Colorado on public lands," Massaro said. Additionally, Massaro said, Schaffer opposed legislation promoting the use of alternative fuels. "He consistently sided with the special interests," Massaro said. "He consistently sided with President Bush and his leadership, none of whom has been supportive of the environment in the Rocky Mountain region."
Although Schaffer during his House tenure often stood to the right of Democrats and most Republicans, professor Mazurana said, that's a record he's likely to edge away from as he runs for Senate. Colorado voters now want a different kind of lawmaker in Congress, he said. "His argument is going to be he is the best for business, he is the best for economic development," Mazurana said. "He is going to try to get away from his more conservative positions, if he's allowed."
