Pro-Schaffer ad draws complaint

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 9, 2008 at 11:28 a.m.
Updated April 9, 2008 at 11:28 a.m.

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A Washington, D.C.-based group has filed an elections complaint over an ad where school children repeatedly thank U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer for his commitment to charter schools.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says the ad violated election laws in two ways.

The spot was paid for by U.S. Term Limits, a Virginia group, to thank Schaffer for keeping his pledge to serve only three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Schaffer, a Fort Collins Republican, left office in 2002. He faces U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, in the U.S. Senate race.

CREW noted that a written disclaimer at the end of the ad says "U.S. Term Limits does not endorse candidates for public office." But when the group posted the ad on YouTube.com, it labeled the spot "Bob Schaffer for Senate video."

In its complaint to the Federal Election Commission, CREW said that was a violation because anyone who pays for an ad advocating the election or defeat of a candidate must file a report about the ad's costs within 48 hours of it airing. The ad began airing in March, but Term Limits has not filed a report.

In addition, political TV ads are required to include an audio statement saying the person who paid for the ad is responsible for its content. The Schaffer ad includes only the written disclaimer.

Ray Wotring, spokesman for U.S. Term Limits, said the organization just found out about the complaint and is reviewing it.

But as CREW noted in its news release, the complaint is likely to go nowhere. That's because the commission currently lacks a quorum and any penalties cannot be assessed until new commissioners are confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Philip Blumel, the president of U.S. Term Limits, earlier said the group has no position on charter schools, but chose to highlight them because Schaffer is passionate about the issue.

• April 9, 2008

  12:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  maukaman writes:

  Public schools were failing the students long before charter schools. BTW, the reason there is no quorum for the Commission is that the appointments are being held up by the Democrats. What an irony.

• April 9, 2008

  1:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  maukaman writes:

  Very well said PajamaPulitzer.

• April 9, 2008

  1:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  temurlan writes:

  I agree, PajamaPulitzer nailed it. Public school teachers are not held accountable for actually teaching their students and they just keep wanting more and more money. Parental rights are slowly stripped away day after day. Public schools are a disgrace. Parents deserve choice.

• April 9, 2008

  1:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  farsidefan writes:

  Parents are failing the students not the schools. The parents want to blame the schools for their little buffy not passing or doing well in school or not behaving. Hey, make little buffy do her homework, give her some structure and discipline at home, make sure she has a decent breakfast,make her go to school, read her homework over, ask to have a conference with the teacher, volunteer to spend 10 hours in the classroom helping out.
  It makes a heck of a difference in the success of the student.

• April 9, 2008

  3:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  infidel91 writes:

  "tax payer funds robbed from public schools"

  Ha! As if it hadn't been "robbed from" the taxpayers to begin with! Karma's a beeyotch, huh?

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