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Schaffer says it's not over yet

GOP candidate for Senate says polls 'in right direction'

By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 15, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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On the campaign trail, Bob Schaffer greets Lamar resident Terry DeWitt at a luncheon Tuesday afternoon.

Photo by Ken Papaleo / The Rocky

On the campaign trail, Bob Schaffer greets Lamar resident Terry DeWitt at a luncheon Tuesday afternoon.

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Republican Bob Schaffer shrugged off new poll results suggesting Democratic Rep. Mark Udall had widened his lead to double digits in Colorado's U.S. Senate race.

"I just have polls that contradict that . . . that show the trend in the right direction for me," Schaffer said Tuesday before touring a power plant in Lamar.

But as he stumped across his old congressional district on the plains, Schaffer acknowledged that Republicans face an uphill battle this year.

"The Republican Party generally has not been as vigorous in maintaining its brand as the reform party," Schaffer said in an interview. "And while there are still a lot of them, a lot of reformers in Washington, there's not enough."

Udall holds a 14 percentage point lead - up from an 8 percentage point gap in late September, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll conducted for The Wall Street Journal and WashingtonPost.com. The survey of 1,088 likely Colorado voters was conducted Oct. 8-12, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The poll also found that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama held a 9 percentage point lead over Republican Sen. John McCain in Colorado.

With three weeks to the election, change has become a mantra for candidates on both sides of the partisan divide. And Schaffer and Udall both have touted their ability to work with members of the other party.

That drew Schaffer a few groans from conservatives when he took questions from a lunchtime crowd.

A man raised his hand to praise McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and then asked if Schaffer could work with them if they are elected.

"I can work with them. I can work with Obama, too," Schaffer said, causing some women in the back of the room to groan with disapproval.

Schaffer pointed out that he had served in Congress under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

"That's where statesmanship comes in," Schaffer said.

Bailout was 'easy way out'

But Schaffer sometimes took shots at members of his own party, especially Republican leaders who went along with a financial bailout package that he thinks will devalue the dollar and saddle future generations with debt.

"Clearly, the majority of Congress moved in a direction that didn't take advantage of all the economic tools at their disposal," Schaffer said. "They took the easy way out, which is the most expensive when applied to every taxpayer in America."

Schaffer won praise from average voters when he talked about energy issues and health care at the Copper Kitchen cafe in La Junta. And at the stop in Lamar, Schaffer gave 9-year-old Hayden Hernandez a lesson on how he'd have to carry a heavy burden supporting retiring baby boomers with his Social Security taxes.

Afterward, the youngster said he's a big fan of Schaffer and a die-hard Republican, "Because we don't want Democrats."

His grandmother, Barbara Hernandez, 59, echoed the sentiment but said she's a bit worried these days.

"I've never seen the Democrats out as actively in Lamar as they are right now," Hernandez said.

After Schaffer's speech, Republican Stella Miller, 77, a retired social worker, said she was still undecided in the Senate race but that she was tempted to vote for Obama.

"I like Obama, what he says, but people keep telling me he's too liberal," Miller said.

Comments

  • October 15, 2008

    6:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    cdawg writes:

    Bob Schaffer is delusional if he thinks he can pull out a victory. He clearly needs to pull something else out.

  • October 15, 2008

    1:06 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    hunterman writes:

    I know, Bob, all you need is for you and D*ck Wad to pull out some negative ads. That will save your scummy campaign!