Colorado Senate candidate took Abramoff trip.
By on Apr 10th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Colorado Senate candidate took Abramoff trip.
In 1999, then-Congressman Bob Schaffer — who is now running to replace retiring Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) — went on “a fact-finding mission” to the Marianas Islands in order “to get to the bottom of repeated allegations of labor abuse in the American protectorate.” But, according to the Denver Post, Schaffer’s trip “was partly arranged by the firm of now-jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who represented textile factory owners fighting congressional efforts to reform labor and immigration laws on the islands and who was being handsomely paid to keep the islands’ cherished exemptions.” Unsurprisingly, Schaffer came away from the trip supporting Abramoff’s clients and “believing that allegations of widespread abuse were largely unfounded.”
Update Progress Now Action notes that Schaffer has pointed to the Marianas Islands's labor abuse-riddled guest worker program as a model of a successful program. TPM has more.
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Gotta look hard for them facts from 75 feet above and behind a speed boat in the bay…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:05 amStick a fork in him, he’s done!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:13 amI don’t understand how these people get elected. And then think they can get elected to higher office based on their crony connections (and crony policies). I guess it’s worked in the past, but do you think there is more scrutiny now because of the past eight years?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:25 amSchaffer: “Labor abuse in the Marianas? I see no labor abuse. I was there, and seen the facts on the ground.”
And another trip to a Potempkin village.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:31 amLife must be easier when you are incapable of feeling shame.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:32 amYou have a problem with pointing out the fact that we have embedded criminals. That this has been going on for years under the nose of the “return respect and dignity” republicans?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:44 amBecause I’m not from Colorado, I was wondering who Schaffer’s Democratic opponent would be. A google search revealed that the presumptive Democratic nominee for this senate seat is Mark Udall, currently representing Colorado (like Schaffer) in the House of Representatives.
In the interest of being fair, has Udall been on any boondoggles paid for by shady lobbyists? I looked, and couldn’t turn up anything — not even on wingnut blog sites. Apparently the worst things the righties can say about Udall are that he failed to end a gun ban, he has a record of voting against funding for the Iraq war, and he failed to introduce a resolution condemning the city of Berkeley for saying that U.S. Marines “aren’t welcome” (Udall said that Congress has more important things to do with their time). But no hints of scandal, crooked dealings, corruption, or the like.
Right now, Udall is slightly ahead in the Colorado senate race, but Schaffer is keeping the race close.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:49 amSeriously, what are Colorado’s interests in the Marianas Islands? Kilo….note the spelling.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:51 amIf we dont put a stop to these SOBs thinking they are elected to office to enjoy la vida loca….we are in serious problems..
April 10th, 2008 at 10:55 amshaft these guys…string them up !!
we need new people…………
new vision……………….and above less corruption
Sometimes I think we are just like a third world country
our polititians are defintely third rate
“Allegations of widespread abuse are largely unfounded”, Schaffer declared after raping the underage Filipino sex slave.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:56 amYes I just finished reading his outrageous defense of the Marianas labor policy. I guess he thinks the politicians need cheaper sex workers to help them unwind. Slave labor seems to be a popular “position” with republicans.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:56 ammoondancer Says:
Slave labor seems to be a popular “position” with republicans.
Yes, but they refer to it as “free enterprise”. The slaves have the opportunity to labor for free, in order to promote the interests of the enterprise.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:01 amKilo Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 10:10 am
“… claiming he was going to Mauritius to represent the interests of Colorado and someone questioning whether that was legit.”
__________________
DING*DING*DING*DING*DING!!! We have a winner!
“Clueless Troll of the Morning” goes to Kilo for confusing Mauritius, which is actually Mauritania and is a country in Africa, w/ the Marianas, a group of islands in the Pacific.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:04 amI’m not surprised by Schaffer’s action at all. Nothing is beneath any of these guys if the price is right. There appalling behavior makes it difficult for the politicians that are actually trying to do right by their constituents.
Another major problem that this raises is how are the people treated that are making the clothes that you wear??? I blogged all last year against Victoria Secret because of how their workers were being treated in Jordon making their bikinis. I refuse to buy one thing from that company. They didn’t so much as apologize when they learned about it. Instead, the Board of Directors and many high ranking corporate officials bought 23 million dollars of their own stock over a 5 day period to prevent their stock from falling.
To keep prices down, whenever we make a free trade agreement with these countries (such as Jordon)a garment manufacturer pops up and starts importing workers into these sweat shops. Instead of FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS they need to be FAIR TRADE AGREEMENTS this way the workers have to be paid a fair wage for their work. Not 4 cents and given 3.3 minutes to make the garment. Then imprisioned when they don’t work fast enough.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:09 amThe American work force is not much better off and it is because of the same mentality. Bush says an American who works 3 jobs to survive is uniquely American.
Keep them scrimping for food and shelter and they won’t have time to pay attention to what the politicians are doing.
Only in America can you have a job that doesn’t even help with your health care but insists it has the right to tell you that you cannot smoke in your own home if you work for them.
Only in America do we drug test employees who work manufacturing jobs, receptionists, and most other low paying jobs but do not drug test airline pilots, doctors, etc.
Of course there is money to be made by selling the drug testing, etc. not to mention the database of offenders who can be denied insurance coverage etc. because of a past offense.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:12 amJohn Bowe documents the slavery in Saipan – both textile and sex slavery – in his book Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy. I highly recommend this read to everyone here.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:45 amFreedom Rebel Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Instead of FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS they need to be FAIR TRADE AGREEMENTS this way the workers have to be paid a fair wage for their work. Not 4 cents and given 3.3 minutes to make the garment. Then imprisioned when they don’t work fast enough.
_____
So true. And this is one injustice we as individuals truly do have the power to fight. By supporting fair trade businesses, we can be sure our money is not going to sweatshop owners and slavery profiteers.
This is not, of course, a substitute for the real renegotiations that will be necessary to make global trade fair for all parties. It is at best a band-aid. Fair trade needs to be the rule, not the exception.
Thank you Freedom Rebel for keeping this issue in view.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:53 amSomeone needs to check his (and Jack’s) credit card statements for “escort services”. After all, that was one of the primary ‘businesses’ there that Abramoff was protecting.
Cheers,
April 10th, 2008 at 11:57 am#20 hussein toasterhead Says:
April 10th
Thank you Freedom Rebel for keeping this issue in view.
Anytime! Thanks Hussein Toasterhead…
April 10th, 2008 at 12:00 pmAh, slave labor for mega-multi-national corporations. The wet dream of every libertarian.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:05 pmBeing from Colorado, this is of more interest to me than to others. Schaffer is the one who would have been the candidtate in ‘04 except for the monied presence of multi-millionaire Bill “Beer Man” Coors. And this story never surgaced during that primary, so am wondering what brought it up now.
Anyway, we seem to be continually reminded of how deep the tentacles of K Street have gone…. and are still there.
Udall has been a good Rep and will make a good Senator, fair minded and environmentally aware.
Good work Denver Post.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:15 pmMany would claim that globalization is inevitable but that it has been poorly planned and implemented.
The truth is that the policy was well planned and well implemented and very sucessful.
The advertised benifit was to raise the standard of living for working people across the planet. The result has been to lower the standard of living for working class people in the united states.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pmFred Says:
Seriously, what are Colorado’s interests in the Marianas Islands?
Have you ever tried to find a sex slave in Colorado?
April 10th, 2008 at 1:07 pmSee – those selfless R’s even used “aerial reconnaisance”.
They work SO hard for the people they represent.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:33 pmFred, believe me, it ain’t easy to find a sex slave in Colorado- I tried. heh
April 10th, 2008 at 2:46 pmActually, the Abramoff connection is relevant here, and just like confusing Mauritius, AKA Mauritania w/ the Marianas, you don’t get it.
Been drinking early in the day?
April 10th, 2008 at 8:07 pmRepublicans studiously avoid connecting the dots. The only way they can remain loyal to their party and ideology is to convince themselves that life is just a random series of unrelated events. That way, they can believe Schaffer’s trip had nothing to do with Abramoff, even though Abramoff paid for it. Likewise, Schaffer can convince himself that the slave labor and sexual slavery he witnessed is not evidence “of widespread abuse” by the multi-national corporations to whom he owes his soul.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:48 amIf only Condi saved her dressessohbet instead of cleaning them. But in today’s twisted America, I don’t believe anything would happen if George Bush was cetcaught in bed with a dead girl AND a live boy. And it all procedes with a cheeky grin and a sickening smugness that is as arrogant as it is insultingBedava mp3 indir.
April 11th, 2009 at 1:07 pm