Schaffer: Blame Dems for high gas prices

Udall's spokeswoman points finger at GOP rival

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 16, 2008 at 10:11 a.m.
Updated July 17, 2008 at 11:01 a.m.

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Photo by Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky

Andrew Bacino, 19, center, seated next to his mother, Marcia Bacino, discusses tax policies with Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer before a campaign event in Pueblo on Wednesday.

Senate candidate Bob Schaffer said he was more than a little surprised Wednesday to hear a college student say his biggest concern was taxes.

"Isn't that just what you'd expect a 19-year-old to say?" Schaffer said, to laughter.

"I asked, 'Why?' He said the government taxes too much, and taxes are a restriction on freedom. He's exactly right."

Schaffer's exchange with University of Denver student Andrew Binco came as Schaffer made his first campaign stop in a four-day trek through southern Colorado.

Today, Schaffer will visit eight locations in the San Luis Valley.

Schaffer, a former three-term Republican congressman from Fort Collins, faces U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, in November.

Schaffer spoke to a crowd of mostly Republicans at an event hosted by the Pueblo County Republican Party. Much of his speech focused on his belief that Udall and other Democrats have helped drive up gasoline prices with their energy policies.

The candidate also lambasted tax policies, from capital gains to business taxes to the "death tax."

"Let me ask you this," he said to Binco. "Do your parents have anything at all that they might leave to you on that unfortunate day of their demise?"

"Two cats," Binco's mother, Marcia Binco said.

"I hate to disappoint you, but the government wants one of them," Schaffer said.

Schaffer took a replica of an old-fashioned gas pump on his tour. Affixed to it was a sign that read:

"Udall premium

50 cents a gallon

tax increase"

"Senate candidate Mark Udall's strategy to drive up energy prices is not going over well with the people of Colorado," Schaffer told the Pueblo group.

"Udall proposed increasing the federal gas tax 50 cents a gallon."

Udall's campaign spokeswoman, Tara Trujillo, said Schaffer is the one who has voted for gas tax increases when he served in the state Senate.

The Udall campaign released an audio file from a debate between Schaffer and Pete Coors in 2004 during their U.S. Senate primary battle, which Coors won.

"I've voted for gas taxes and other taxes and fee increases and license increases and stuff like that," Schaffer says on the file.

"Mark Udall has never called for a 50-cent gas tax increase, and no amount of distortion and misrepresentation by Bob Schaffer will change the fact that it is Bob who is the oil and gas executive and he's the one who has profited from Coloradans paying more money to gas up their cars," Trujillo said.

Schaffer's campaign pointed to a 2002 document called the Foster Natural Gas Report.

It talked about a meeting in Washington where an energy consultant asked, "If there were a bill to raise gasoline taxes by 50 cents a gallon, would you support it and vote for it?"

According to the report, Udall replied, "If there were ever 217 other members of the House willing to face the firing squad, yes. This country is not ready for that approach."

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327

Schaffer's schedule today

*8-8:45 a.m. Saguache Oasis Restaurant, meet and greet

* 9:30-9:50 a.m. Monte Vista Monte Vista Coop & Farm Supply Store, coffee with business owners and farmers

* 10-11 a.m. Monte Vista Home Lake Colorado State Veterans Center

* 12-12:45 p.m. Alamosa Senior Center lunch

* 1-1:30 p.m. Alamosa Clancy's Inn, meet with business owners

* 2-2:30 p.m. Conejos Our Lady of Guadalupe Church 150th anniversary

* 2:45-3 p.m. La Jara First Stop Gas, visit with voters about fuel prices

* 6-7:30 p.m. Fort Garland All Gone Restaurant, meet and greet, pizza dinner

• July 16, 2008

  11:11 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jonah writes:

  Schaffer and Wadhams are so full of manure that they should start a mushroom farm. The Republican marketing strategy, from Bush on down, is to keep repeating the same lies over and over again so that the uninformed will believe them.

  By the way, I know from personal experience that Bob Schaffer does not believe the the First Amendment Right of Free Speech. Should we elect a Senator who does not believe in the Constitution???

• July 16, 2008

  11:27 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  BurgandyWine writes:

  "Wadhams said the charge was ridiculous, and that Schaffer has been to plenty of public events. Asked to name some, he said, "I've got tell you, this is so preposterous I can't even respond to it."

  Wow, couldn't name one event...Bob must have been fundraising around the clock and yet he still got trounced to the tune of $600,000 dollars.

  Can't blame the republicans though, who would want to throw money at this guy?

• July 16, 2008

  3:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  titancain writes:

  I think Sweatshop Bob has to lose some weight. He bears a striking resemblance to fatboy limbaugh.

• July 16, 2008

  5:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dustoff76 writes:

  Wadhams is a ridiculous, ineffective political hack. This statement pretty much summarizes his entire campaign strategy: "Boulder liberal Udall wants to continue to shut down domestic energy exploration." The plan is apparently to appeal to the lowest common denominator by employing name calling and soundbites to drag the race into the mud.

  I am willing to bet that Wadhams' simple-minded categorizations and labels will be just as effective as they were when he ran George Allen's campaign into the ground in 2006. Keep it up D-- (the text editor thinks you have a dirty name) it's going to be a treat to watch you bungle another campaign by another weak candidate.

• July 16, 2008

  8:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cogramma writes:

  ya it MUST be all the Dem's fault . . since the RePUBLICANS have been in power for the last 7.5 yrs

• July 16, 2008

  8:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  titancain writes:

  I would think a 19 y.o. would be worried about Iraq. Isn't this the most important war ever? Just ask Cheney and Jr. BHut certainly NOT their families.

• July 17, 2008

  1:16 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  windbourne writes:

  hehehe. Schaeffer appears surprised that a college student said that? Lets get real. NO COLLEGE STUDENT WOULD COME UP WITH IT. That question was given to him. And scheffer totally knew that it was coming. All in all, even schaeffers's campaign is as phoney as other neo-cons.

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