Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Home › News › Local News

Schaffer's ad moved mountains

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 14, 2008 at 6:56 p.m.
Updated May 14, 2008 at 8:13 p.m.

Text size  
Screen shot of Bob Schaffer's incorrect television ad with Mt. McKinley

Screen shot of Bob Schaffer's incorrect television ad with Mt. McKinley

Screen shot of Bob Schaffer's corrected TV ad with Pikes Peak.

Screen shot of Bob Schaffer's corrected TV ad with Pikes Peak.

More Local News

More stories »

They say faith can move mountains. Apparently, so can political campaigns.

But when a television ad for the Republican Bob Schaffer's campaign for U.S. Senate mistakenly switched Mount McKinley in Alaska for Pikes Peak in Colorado, the consequences can be rugged and steep.

"I am very frustrated," said Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams, who admitted the mistake and said a corrected ad will be on the air by Wednesday night.

"What is frustrating about it is that when we saw the rough cut of the ad we asked the media consultant to check that," Wadhams added. But after being reassured that the mountain was a "stock photo" image from Colorado, the ad ran.

It didn't take long, though for some mountaineering Democrats to climb all over the error. The Web site ColoradoPols posted the discovery, leading several activists to contend that the error says more about Schaffer than his media consultant.

"For Schaffer, who comes from Ohio, to not know the most important mountain in Colorado is just foolish," said Mike Huttner, executive director of the liberal group Progress Now Action.

Wadhams, however, defended the accuracy of the rest of the ad, which highlights Schaffer's having proposed to his wife atop Pikes Peak and the fact that his daughter attends the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

"I think the overall message isn't distracted at all," Wadhams said. "The message is still good."

He also countered that Schaffer's opponent, Democrat Mark Udall, also had to pull video of a campaign Web site in October. The C-SPAN video showed Udall speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives. Use of the C-SPAN footage violated House rules and the video was pulled from the Web site.

Schaffer and Udall are competing for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Wayne Allard.

Comments

  • May 14, 2008

    7:53 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    J_Phil writes:

    Gene, go back to 1980...

    Mr. Schaffer, go back to Ohio...

    There, I think that about covers it.

  • May 14, 2008

    8:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Jonah writes:

    I vote for J_Phil's suggestions!!!

  • May 14, 2008

    8:57 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Brain writes:

    Froward69;
    Your partisanslip is showing. Have you ever done a commercial?

  • May 14, 2008

    9:17 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ColoradoDave writes:

    They are running a candidate for Senator from Colorado and they mistake this:
    http://www.peakware.com/photos/174e.jpg

    For this:
    http://www.peakware.com/photos/1014c.jpg

    I love Colorado and our mountains but there is no way anyone familiar with Colorado should mistake a 20,000 foot mountain with a 17,000 foot vertical rise for anything around here.

    Shows you how out of touch with Colorado Bob Schaffer really is.

  • May 14, 2008

    10:45 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Jonah writes:

    Hey, when you're from Ohio they all look the same!

  • May 14, 2008

    11:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    me2 writes:

    There is a great book called "Rising from the Plains" about the early days of the USGS in Wyoming.

    The author says that the Tetons have been in dozens of movies that were supposed to be filmed in Colorado, Montana, Idaho and even New Mexico.

    Those old 50`s and 60`s movies. Now that I have told you this, keep your eyes out for the Traveling Tetons. They really are all over the place.

  • May 15, 2008

    12:29 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    YellowCatRedCat writes:

    "Colorado is my life"--points to Mt. McKinley. What an apt metaphor for the whole campaign...

    Oh, and Gene, you're a raving xenophobe. Congratulations.

  • May 15, 2008

    12:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    clyde writes:

    So in reality, which one of our 57 states does Mt. McKinley reside?

  • May 15, 2008

    7:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SJ writes:

    "The Deerhunter" used the North Cascades in Washington as a substitute for the Pennsylvanian Appalachians.

  • May 15, 2008

    8:03 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Gandalf writes:

    I think Gene is a multiple personality impersonator if you consider his ridiculous, partisan rant. He's impersonating Dick Wadhams, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity all in one sentence. Heck, maybe he's even Ann "Man" Coulter in disguise.