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August 05, 2008 06:04 PM UTC

Justin Schaffer: Slavery Does NOT "Get Shit Done"

  • 129 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: It’s all fun and games until, as the Dayton Daily News reports:

University of Dayton officials said Tuesday, Aug. 5, they are considering charging student Justin Schaffer for a violation of the Standards of Behavior for posting offensive information on his Facebook page.

The 19-year-old son of Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer of Colorado on Monday apologized for an entry that had the words “High Five … Who’s Gay” over a photo of a waving Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. It also had a picture of the Pyramids with the words “Slavery Gets (expletive) Done.”

UD said the Code of Conduct standard calls for students to respect all members of the community and the community at large.

Sister Annette Schmeling, vice president of student development and dean of students, said she will have an initial conversation with Schaffer about the postings and “explore the ways his Facebook page is not showing respect.”

“We are addressing it and we expect to begin the adjudication process before classes start on August 20,” Schmeling said in a written statement.

Cilla Bosnak Shindell, director of media relations at UD, said potential penalties for Code of Conduct violations range from a reprimand to probation, suspension or expulsion.

Senate candidate Bob Schaffer’s college-age son, exposed displaying racially-charged and otherwise distasteful political imagery on his Facebook profile, is sorry. And Dad’s going to ‘firmly’ punish him. As the Denver Post reports:

Opponents of Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer have found political fodder in his 19-year-old son’s Facebook page, which shows a picture of Barack Obama over the caption “High five . . .. who’s gay” and another picture that reads “Slavery gets shit [disambiguated by Pols] done.”

Schaffer said he was prepared to talk about his campaign, not his children, but he did say that he and his wife had set out “firm punishment” for their son, Justin, over the issue.

Justin Schaffer attends the University of Dayton, and the page was apparently widely accessible to students there.

Justin Schaffer issued a written apology late Monday:

“The offensive materials directly contradict the values that my parents taught me and are forbidden in my parents’ home. My Facebook page is my sole responsibility . . .”

“It is clear that my actions were juvenile, disrespectful, and a mistake on my part,” the statement said.

Although much of the material had been removed from the page by Monday night, a mirror image of an earlier version was posted on a website called Schafferfamilyvalues.com…

The page indicates that among the virtual groups that Justin Schaffer participated in was one called “Pole Dancers for Jesus.” One image on the Facebook page shows a machine-gun-toting Jesus in front of a Confederate flag, the caption reading “What would a Republican Jesus Do?”

Coming just weeks after the son of Gov. Bill Ritter posted party pictures from the governor’s mansion, the controversy underscores the trouble the free-wheeling Internet may cause candidates or politicians used to tightly controlling their message.

It remains to be seen whether liberal activists and others offended will find Justin’s apology satisfactory, but it’s clear there was no attempt really made by the Schaffer campaign to defend what he had posted to this Facebook page, or to attack the ethics of exposing it. The consensus as far as we see it is that the content was sufficiently political (not to mention controversial) to be fair game during a parent’s campaign for the US Senate. We’ll see if the apology mitigates concerns about the underlying causes, however, and how that relates to Bob Schaffer as he presents himself to voters.

On the subject of “tightly controlled messaging,” the Post reports separately:

Talking last week about a missed vote by Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall, Dick Wadhams, one of the GOP’s most storied campaign operatives, ratcheted up the nastiness of an already sharp race when he told a reporter, “We’re going to shove a bunch of 30-second ads up his ass [disambiguated by Pols] on this issue.”

Asked Monday whether the statement was accurate, Wadhams said, “I stand by the comment,” then promptly repeated the remark for another reporter…

As the U.S. Senate contest between Udall and Republican Bob Schaffer heats up, Wadhams – who is both Schaffer’s campaign manager and chair of the state party – is increasingly the third man in the race, his language and style casting a long shadow that sometimes obscures even his own candidate.

Hard-charging and contentious, he’s a practitioner of a biting brand of politics that several Republicans agreed goes right up to the line of what’s acceptable – and may sometimes cross over it.

In the past few months, he dismissed the Campaign Money Watch, which ran a negative ad against Schaffer, as an organization financed by “scumbags,” then labeled two well-known foreign-policy experts who spoke at a Udall press call “creeps.” While running the campaign of former Montana Sen. Conrad Burns in 2000, Wadhams famously referred to the Democrat in the race – Brian Schweitzer, who has since been elected governor – as a “smartass [disambiguated by Pols] thug.”

But his latest remark drew more reproof than usual, even in an era of increasingly nasty political attacks.

Pat Waak, the chair of the state Democratic Party, said she was “personally offended” and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a news release calling the incident “bizarre.”

And it drew a scolding from Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the Republican former senator and one of Colorado’s senior statesmen.

“You know in politics it always seemed to me there were certain things that may not be written in the rules about how you should campaign, but were acknowledged as things you just don’t do,” Campbell said…

Nicknamed “Karl Rove 2.0,” Wadhams with his aggressive approach is, his opponents say, too closely associated with the Bush years and likely to be repudiated by voters in this turn-the-page political era.

Just a lovely portrait being painted here, isn’t it? To be fair, it should be noted that these two narratives seem distinct from one another, with Schaffer’s foul-mouthed bigoted kid and the foul-mouthed “itinerant political hitman” fronting Bob Schaffer’s campaign not having any real connection other than…

Oh, wait a minute.

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129 thoughts on “Justin Schaffer: Slavery Does NOT “Get Shit Done””

  1. He cannot use the “family values” schitk in his campaign, because anything about that brings his son’s website back in to the discussion. So he loses that campaign plank – and it’s a biggie for his base.

    1.    Like any good Republican, B.S. is oblivious to any connection between his preaching family values and actually practicing them.

        Of course he will talk about strong families and parental responsibilities without ever thinking about his own.

      1. Schaffer fils has swallowed whole the values he learned from Schaffer pere. He just hasn’t yet learned how to hide the more odious expressions of those values, but he’s young, he’ll get there.

  2. is in an Army ROTC program in college.  Thinking about it that way, it is quite possible that this issue will go far beyond any punishment that his parents could hand down to him.

    I would almost expect that he will be reprimanded for his behavior by his ROTC command and could quite possibly be discharged from the corps of cadets.

    Not sure, but I would imagine that some aspects of the UCMJ could apply here.

      1. Hopefully he will learn from the experience and it will make him grow to be a better man.  I know when I was that age I made many mistakes and I am thankful that I was forgiven and given the chance to put those mistakes behind me.  I am sure we all can relate in some way and can show a little compassion and let this young man move on.

        1. The “mistake” young Justin made was posting his bigotry where it could be discovered and embarrass his father’s campaign. You can bet he won’t make that mistake again.

          You’ll notice he didn’t apologize for his thuggish positions, just for posting them on his Facebook. That’s not going to “make him grow to be a better man,” just a sneakier one.

        2. will he, like the Romey youth, slink into obscurity or will he pray that President Obama is true to his word, and get us out of Iraq so he can avoid those uncomfortable questions like, “Are you going to be like Republican Jesus on your facebook page and pick up a machine gun to kill terrorists, or are you content to let others fight on in your stead?”

  3. It is interesting that Schaffer is fine with Wadhams. Just as the son reflects upon the father, the campaign manager reflects upon the candidate. This is how Bob Schaffer “gets things done.”

    And while we’re on the subject, why does every Schaffer supporter always talk about how honest & honorable he is? That’s one of those things that is assumed and goes unsaid for those that are.

    The constant repitition makes me think that maybe his supporters see his integrity as an issue and are trying to build up a defense there.

  4. Mea culpa, since I suggested yesterday the Schaffer campaign might try to flip this.

    Of course, Bob faced a quandary. The Schaffer campaign had to decide which foul-mouthed vulgarian to “stand by” and which to “firmly punish.”

    Kudos, however, to Campbell, probably the only Republican in the state who doesn’t have to worry about staying on Wadhams’ good side, if such a side exists.

    Campbell’s admonition continued beyond the portion cited above by Pols:

    “You know in politics it always seemed to me there were certain things that may not be written in the rules about how you should campaign, but were acknowledged as things you just don’t do,” Campbell said.

    “One is you don’t attack a person’s family. Another is that you can speak in pretty hard terms, but you just don’t get vulgar about it,” the former senator said.

  5. generation as young Justin, though a few years older, and I know exactly where he got these kinds of ideas: his parents. My own father had a penchant for racist jokes, and I can relate to where Justin may have gotten the idea that this kind of thing is OK. However, I learned at a very young age, despite my dad, that racism (even humor) is not OK, and it does nothing but create more racists. The fact that he had it on his facebook profile is even more indicative that for him this was something to be laughed at publicly, as well as privately. If Bob Schaffer had really brought up his son with the values of respect, equality and decency, then I severely doubt that he would think that slavery is a laughing matter.

    Expect more from your elected leaders–if they can’t even raise their kids right, then how do we expect them to represent us in Congress?

    1. Remember, too, that young Justin grew up in a home where his father was praised for attacking opponents of indentured servitude, showered with money and tropical vacations for defending slavery on American soil.

      The problem isn’t that Bob failed to teach his son Schaffer family values. The problem is, he succeeded.

      1. and I missed the actual bumper sticker. I guess I just assumed that it was something racist against African-Americans, but I scanned down the page and saw that it was actually anti-semitic. Really it should offend everyone. Just glad that my ancestors could be enslaved into building the pyramids so some rich, son of a congressman could get his kicks.

        3. .

          and I may be wrong about this,

          but I thought that the Israelites fled to Egypt 700 years after the pyramids at Giza were built.  

          I know, I also saw Moses defend the Israelites who were being treated badly by Egyptian masters in the movie,

          but that film is not regarded as a primary source by most historians.

          .

    1. My Father, like many of his generation, had some views of minorities that weren’t exactly PC.  

      They didn’t get passed on down to me.  I learned that people are people and the color of your skin didn’t make you any better or worse.  

      Some people, like little Schaffer were just born ignorant and offensive.

      1. Like other behaviors, bigotry can be either passed on or moved beyond, depending on the judgment of the son/daughter, and the environment they live in.

  7. I suggest we follow Senator Campbell’s suggestion that we leave the family out of the campaign. With what he did/said I do think it is fair that it was brought up as it is reflective on the father. But I think we should drop any discussion of the child.

    But I do think it is very reasonable to ask Bob Schaffer what his true standards are and what he finds acceptable in terms of the generic question of raising a child.

    We elect the person more than we elect a list of issues and polict statements. What kind of person Bob Schaffer is is very much reflected in how he raises his children.

    And also how he responds to this. Is his main concern teaching his child why this is wrong? Or is his main concern political cover? That tells us what kind of person Bob Schaffer is.

    1. And also how he responds to this. Is his main concern teaching his child why this is wrong? Or is his main concern political cover? That tells us what kind of person Bob Schaffer is.

      “The offensive materials directly contradict the values that my parents taught me and are forbidden in my parents’ home. My Facebook page is my sole responsibility . . .”

      Textbook case of political cover.

    2. He’s not a “child.” He’s 19 years old. Old enough to vote, old enough to fight for his country. I understand your point but let’s not dummy down the discussion by making this young man something he ain’t ever gonna be again–a kid.

    3. of “Family Values” and what constitutes a “family”, then I will cease my discussion of his bigot son, who by any definition of “family” is a part of Bob’s family.  He opened this can of worms by attacking my family in his political campaigns.

      1. So the key question is not is the son a bigot, it’s what sort of job Bob Schaffer did as a father, what was acceptable in his house, etc. Sometimes no matter what a parent does, the kid is a disaster. Sometime no matter how bad the parents, the kid does great.

        So the key question in this election is not the son, but Bob Schaffer and is the child this way because of, or in spite of, Bob.

        1. given Schaffer’s making an issue of “Family Values”, the bigotry of the son merits discussion and investigation.  

          Is bigotry a learned behavior (I believe it is) and if so, did the young bigot learn this from his parents.  

          Further, if Schaffer believes that his definition of “Family” is best, then it only makes sense that we examine what kind of a job he has done in leading the only family that he is personally responsible for–his own.

          As someone pointed out earlier, Schaffer has made a career out of flinging stones at other families, unfortunately for him, his own home just turned into glass.

            1. The apple never falls far from the tree.

              Clearly, he’s no son of you and me.

              Maybe he can disappear like the honey bee’s.

              Clinton’s Chelsea is a strong smart woman.

              Look at her parents, and see the comparison.

              Maybe there is something in the gene’s

              that indicates which way the IQ leans.

              Anyway I look at it, the Schaffer’s family

              Between the Marianas and Iraq’s oil industry

              Have dug themselves a hole getting deeper by the day

              They should get out of public life and stay below the fray.

  8. Schaffer should be asked, “Do you endorse your campaign manager’s talking about how he’s going to “shove” things up your opponent’s “ass”?

    “Or do you agree with former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell that Mr. Wadhams’ comments were vulgar and inappropriate?

    “And if you agree they were vulgar and inappropriate, why didn’t you issue a statement to that effect when the comments were first brought to your attention?”

    2.    Wadhams, on the other hand, can and will privately reprimand Schaffer if and when necessary.  Such are the rules of campaign management in the post-Macaca Age.

    3. Kids (even 19 year old kids) sometimes screw up, although the Facebook page shows not just one bad act but a pattern that deserves the criticism it has gotten.

      But Wadhams? Schaffer lets Wadhams speak for him more than Schaffer does himself, so Schaffer is responsible for every crude, vulgar, vicious attack that comes from Wadhams. Schaffer’s values are the values he lets Wadhams spew on his behalf.

      Good questions there, Half Glass.

  9. Are you deeply offended by Justin Schaffer’s image of “Republican Jesus,” standing in front of a Colorado flag and brandishing an assault rifle: “What Would Republican Jesus Do?”

    I mean really, you’d expect to see a picture like that on a rabidly LEFT-WING site, wouldn’t you? Although the irony probably went right over the head of young Justin.

    So – what do you think? Are you offended, or what? Just wonderin’.  

        2. It’s the confederate battle flag, featuring the saint andrews cross. The stars and bars was the actual flag of the confederacy, with two b road red stripes and one white stripe. It also has a blue field with a circle of stars, representing the confederate states. Except for the Broad stars, it thus looked much like the original Betsy Ross U.S. Flag. On a battlefield, it was felt like the resemblance to the U.S. flag might draw friendly fire, so the battle flag was usually used in its place.    

      1. That the young cap’n shant be plundering any more booty anytime soon.  I am sure the ladies of Dayton now find him repugnant, as they well should.

          3. I was looking forward to getting a little amorous tonight with the wife, but the image of Ann Coulter in a cougarfest with Justin Schaffer is a powerful anti-Viagra.

    2. …and she probably will continue to be criticized as will Cindy McCain. As were HRC, Nancy Reagan, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt.    

        Life is not always fair.

  12. Didn’t he showcase his sons?  Will that run again? Young Schaffer is showing stuff that is alarming. Either there is real conflict with the father and this is the way of retaliation or

    he has a peer group which supports this or the young man has emotional problems.  Reflects well on the very conservative, Catholic university?  

    Looks like Wadhams has another Macaca moment…

    1. They just keep piling up.

      Schaffer did feature his children in his first ad (“Denali”), but he only has one son, plus four daughters. The ad, which was widely ridiculed even before it aired, only ran briefly and has never been mentioned since.

  14. I was upset to see Justin Schaffer’s page, but he handled it like a good man, by issuing an apology and being honest with the public – good for him taking responsibility

    However, reading this blog is making me absolutely sick

    To me, the goal of equal rights is fighting for those who are not given full civil liberties and/or being mistreated because of their gender, race, sexual preference, or religion — however, I never thought the goal was to target individuals and ostracize them for comments that have already been apologized for

    Apology was made… I’m moving on….. I hope everyone else does too…

    Peace and love to you all – Ali Hasan

        1. I understand that you are a conservative and that you have policy differences with Obama.

          However, does it offend you when one of the chief criticisms of Obama that hovers around the internet in places like the facebook page of a congressman’s son is the mere possibility that he MAY be a Muslim?  

          Falsely portraying Obama as a Muslim as an insult is dependent on the idea that the mere belief that “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet” (sorry I got it wrong–doing it from memory if I) is somehow wrong.

          The anti-Obama smears propogated by a few of the troglodytes on this site and by Boy Schaffer such as the one portraying Obama as a bearded muslim are fully dependent on Islam being a “Bad” thing.

          I know you have policy differences with democrats, but you can not tell me this kind of thing doesn’t offend you.

          As to me accepting an apology, there was nothing in his “apology” that indicated an apology.  Where I come from you have to take affirmative steps to undo the wrong you have committed: asking absolution isn’t enough.

          1. yes, the whisper smears that I believe could affect the presidential race bother me. The things posted on young Shaffer’s site bother me. Condemning Shaffer’s parenting relationship based on this incident is tenuous. Condemning Shaffer’s candidacy based on his parenting is also tenuous. Us politicos commonly call this second degree tenuosity.

            That’s my opinion. Whether this will affect the race is another question.  

      2. You’re right! Let’s just keep arguing on the Internet. After all, nobody can truly repent for a piece of satire on the Internet! There’s no way he’s really sorry. All he did was write a humble and well-written apology available to all the public. Indeed, the balance of racial equality and politics has been upset by a virtual piece of satire—and nothing can be done to undo it.

        1. I would caution comments like that, because I don’t think any of us can assume what someone’s intent is (unless you’re a really good psychic)

          More importantly, my question wasn’t answered – please define what is a sufficient apology in this case?

          For the posters here – are we looking for a sufficient apology, or are we looking, in the name of tolerance, to target and humiliate a young man that has said “sorry”…?

          Peace and love to all! – Ali Hasan

          1. If only young Schaffer believed that Ali Hasan. And, if only you believed that. You supported the Iraq war, no? How many tens of thousands innocent killed?

            Peace and love to all! Can you spell cognitive dissonance?

            1. Peace and love from a war supporter. I guess “to you all” is actually selective, though the “!” at the end suggests differently..

          2. would come from Bob Schaffer. He’s the guy running for Senate. And he should apologize to his kid for publicly throwing him under the bus while standing by his man Dick “Vote for Daschle Vote for Sodomy” Wadhams.

      3. By discussing how indirect support for slavery, Barack Obama being Muslim/gay, and an assault rifle packing Jesus is repugnant.

        Yes, let’s move on. Let’s move on to how Bob Schaffer didn’t “witness” any forced abortions though there was a mountain of evidence and sworn testimony that such abuses did occur. Let’s move on to that, or Dick Wadhams wanting to shove 30 second ads up Mark Udall’s ass.

        Let’s discuss that. PLEASE. Let’s discuss the hypocrisy of these “moral crusaders.”

    2. yes the facebook page was in bad taste and in my opinion showed a lack of judgment given his father was running for office. There are many things I don’t understand about today’s youth, would consider in bad taste, and show lack of judgment. He apologized correctly and I’m not going to crucify him. We should focus on the candidates.

      Good to hear from you Ali.  

      1. our campaign’s going well

        we’ve knocked on 10,000 doors so far in Eagle and Lake and we’ve knocked out around 800 in Summit, with 5,000 more to go – we’re on our way

        feel free to check out the campaign site for some fun pics, particularly the ones of my sitting in a dunk tank last friday – hehehe

    3. Maybe Justin could use a lesson in that, because the use of “slavery gets shit done” ANYWHERE is abhorrent. Be sick about that. Be sick about the use of Christ as a Republican (I thought he was apolitical). Be sick about a picture of Christ packing an assault rifle (prince of peace my ass, I guess).

      Your self-righteousness about his “apology” is misplaced. He was apoliogizing not for posting what he did, but getting caught. That’s not peace and love, that’s political ass-covering.”It is clear that my actions were juvenile, disrespectful, and a mistake on my part,” the statement said. He was apologizing for posting the content, not the content itself.

      1. Easy on the “self-righteousness” — I’m not a Saint, I just don’t like watching people be unfairly humiliated

        in regards to your feeling –

        I wouldn’t suggest that he’s only apologizing for posting the stuff — I think the apology served for everything

        For me, the apology is a good one – but if your feelings are strong, then I think you should sent the above note to the Schaffer campaign directly or call them –

        720-377-1600

        Peace and love – ALI

        2. And apologized for everything. The post, the content of the post, and for not removing it.

          Most of all, though, apologize for lacking the taste and decency to know that what he was posting would offend anyone with said taste and decency.

          I shouldn’t have to tell the Schaffer campaign what they should already know. If they condone this kind of behavior, an d that of Mr. Wadhams, then perhaps Congress isn’t where Mr. Schaffer should be.

          1. Danny – I’m always offended by any race-baiting or campaign literature that borders on racism — I condemn that material within my own Party — in my work running Muslims For Bush, I was often in public disagreement with many GOP-supporting pundits

            On Iraq and Bush –

            I supported the Iraq War and I still do — the problems and some of the organizing failures were awful, especially Bremer’s micro-managing

            What I do know though from study and traveling to Muslim countries —-

            there are 57 Muslim countries in the world – 53 of them have signed on as allies since 9/11 directly because of George W Bush’s good policy

            President W Bush is responsible for reducing sanctions on Muslim countries, which has heavily helped international peace (as confirmed by the Petersen Institute) and civil liberties and literacy are on the rise in the Muslim World, directly due to Bush giving more aid to the Muslim World and opening more free trade (as directly confirmed by the Millenium Challenge Institute)

            Terror Free Tomorrow also confirms that American popularity, throughout the Muslim World, is rising, whereas Osama’s is continually waning

            Policies like SAFTA and MEFTA are going to guarantee strong peace in the entire Muslim World

            I’ve also traveled to Muslim World since 9/11, and while not perfect, things are definitely getting better — for once, people can go and work for a living, rather than submitting themselves to corrupt dictators, particularly in countries like Pakistan and Uzbekistan

            No President has contributed more to the AIDS problem in Africa, saving millions of lives and Muslim communities

            Palestine is recognized as a state and is on its way to becoming a real country — far different from the Clinton policy of continual ostracizing

            The MILF Muslim Liberation Front in the Phillipines is finally engaged in a peace process, due to the Bush Administration getting involved, rather than being continually slaughtered

            Overall, none of this would happen if we continued practicing the Bill Clinton/George Bush Senior policy of sanctioning Muslim countries, bombing them, and never removing the dictators —- that’s why I trust President Bush’s judgement, even on the Iraq War

            McCain is a good guy… but I really wish I could vote for President W Bush a third time…. ultimately, history will show how great his Presidency was….

            2. How can you say “peace and love to you all” when you support war? War is the antithesis of peace, and we don’t attack someone out of love.

              There aren’t enough hours in the day to answer each of the points I disagree with, so I’ll leave it that I disagree with you for the sake of civility.

              I appreciate your response, and am thankful for a civilized disagreement.

        3. I am tired of being the “good minority” and taking the higher road.  Read this post, most people are truly upset by this.

          Why do some Black and Brown people and women continually stand with this party of Lincoln and swear to us all “that’s not want they meant” when they made a monkey Obama sock puppet.

          “That’s not what they meant” when McCain laughed at Hillary being called a bitch.

          “Oh, that’s not what we meant” by repeating the name of Hussein, implying that a name that appears in your bible that has had many honorable namesakes is somehow bad.  Is the name Timothy or McVeigh given the same treatment?

          How many times are we going to accept, “that not what was meant and we are sorry you took it that way”.  They know what they mean and so do the rest of us.  

          So, Bob and Justin, your apology is not accepted and please quit speaking to us as if we are three year olds and can not grasp the concept of race baiting.

          As I have said in other post, I am not willing to accept this behavoir of those that want leadership.  I mean that of Jesse Jackson and of Justin and Bob Schaffer.

          1. If Schaffer really cared about his kid, it would insist that the kid spend some time with you and with others who have been maligned, insulted, and hurt by his kid’s crap.

    4. I was upset to see Justin Schaffer’s page, but he handled it like a good man, by issuing an apology and being honest with the public – good for him taking responsibility

      Let’s look at the entire statement from Bob Schaffer:

      Schaffer said he was prepared to talk about his campaign, not his children, but he did say that he and his wife had set out “firm punishment” for their son, Justin, over the issue.

      Not a word about if he even finds it wrong, or if so how. Just that there will be punishment. Is the punishment merely for others seeing what was acceptable speech at the home dinner table? Is the punishment merely a sop thrown to the voters?

      To truly take responsibility someone has to acknowledge that what occured was wrong and they understand why it’s wrong. Having Bob Schaffer speak to those two points would be taking responsibility and making the move on suggestion reasonable.

  15. I would like to point out a detail that most, if not all, of the posters on this site seem to have overlooked. The most questionable bumper stickers on Justin’s page were not put there by him; as any clear discerning, logical person could see, they were added to his Facebook by a female friend, who clearly put them there in jest. Just examine the text on the mirror page, right below the block of images.

    Therefore, even if the outrageous claim that a single piece of (admittedly inappopriate and tasteless) satire can be said to make a person, and by proximity his entire family, a bigot, can be made, it cannot be extended to Justin. He didn’t put it there; yes, he failed to remove it, but he did not intentionally seek out such a piece of satire, so I hardly believe accusations of bigotry can be extended to him.

    Amazing what the internet age can do, to allow ignorant “PC” fanatics to disregard satire or sarcasm and label a hard working young man dedicated to his country (via VOLUNTARY enlistment!) as a bigot. Ah, but truly ’tis more Patriotic to extrapolate claims of bigotry and cowardice on the internet than to serve for one’s country!

    An especially broad congratulations to Arvadonian’s ignorance and presumption. Why isn’t he fighting in Iraq? This may come as a massive surprise to such a concerned keyboard jockey, but ROTC military training is a years long process, which men like Justin have volunteered to undergo and cannot back out of after a certain amount of time. So in 3 years, whether McCain or Obama is elected, people like Justin, who have REAL American bravery and patriotism, will be fighting for our nation, whether they think the cause is wrong or right. But please, continue to show your patriotism by being infuriated over a piece of tasteless and irrelevant satire.

    1. What makes it “clearly in jest?” And couldn’t he have removed it if he wasn’t cool with it?

      (Outraged response that I would imply that a new poster is a sockpuppet coming in 5… 4… 3…)

      1. Yes, you are right. He could have, and I believe he should have. But I fail to see how such a piece of satire can reflect heartfelt bigotry on a person. Why is it clearly in jest? The use of the word “shit”, the completely ridiculous nature of it, the ridiculous and clearly satirical pictures around it, and also the added fact that nothing else on his page displays any degree of bigotry support the claim.

        I refuse to believe a person is a bigot on account of a singular misplaced comment, or rather, the accepting of that comment. Laughing at a racial joke, rather than reprimanding the person who made it, does not reveal racial or bigoted tendencies. Similarly with Justin. Does anybody remember the Civil War? Remember how Lincoln didn’t go to war to defeat slavery and equalize civil rights? He sure was a racist, wasn’t he? Not at all, so I say that a single action or lack thereof at a single moment in time cannot make a person a racist…

        Now, don’t take my allusion out of context. I’m not saying Justin’s actions make him a hero or anything like that… far from it. All I’m saying is that a single action, or rather lack thereof, does not betray a person’s true character, and evil and inhumane tendencies cannot be extrapolated from, of all things, a piece of satire.

        Facebook isn’t something to be taken seriously… now, it was imprudent, but the featuring of such a picture on the page is comparable to, at worst, laughing at a harmless racial joke. Cross burning? Hardly.

        If I can qualify anything else I said, let me know. An outraged response or a misunderstanding is the last thing I think this page could use.

        1. why you said the “most questionable” bumper stickers were placed there by friends when, in fact, that’s simply not true. Not one of the bumper stickers cited in news stories or on Colorado Pols was from a friend, they were all placed on the page by Schaffer himself.

    2. I think its after 2 years.

      So lets not call it voluntary enlistment (not correct terminology for officers anyway) until after he is committed, which I think is long after the election.

      I consider this brat unworthy to wear the uniform as an officer right now–maybe he’ll grow in to it.  

      Or maybe he’ll figure out he doesn’t have the huevoes to be a soldier, the brains to be an officer or the class to be a gentleman and get out before he is committed

      1. I apologize for my incorrect terminology, but did I fail to get the point across? He signed up, of his own accord, to a rigorous program with the intent of serving his country. It also seems a point that, although he is not yet committed, he’s still in ROTC…

        Your remarks about his character are immature and presumptuous, and I resent them. You don’t know Schaffer beyond an internet story, so maybe you could keep your holy judgment to yourself. Based on your etiquette you don’t seem to be much of a valid judge on what makes a “gentleman”… but least you have the “huevos” to insult a person you’ve never met, anonymously via the internet.

        1. You resent my remarks when I offered no personal insult to you.  Yet you defend that brat?

          Now I will make a personal insult: your defense of that little jerk at the same time you take umbrage at my words says something about you.

          As to me being a gentleman–never claimed to be one.

        2. shouldn’t you be true to your namesake?  Where is your angst and confusion over this bigotry?  Oh, yeah, I forgot, blame someone else for this bigots actions.  Typical right wing hypocrisy.  Neither ROTC or our military tolerate this kind of bigotry.  And I hope they give him his just punishment for his stupidity.

    3. But it’s simply not true. The “most questionable” bumper stickers were in fact placed on Schaffer’s Facebook BY Schaffer. It’s true several other offensive images were from friends, including this one.

      But all the images under discussion are Schaffer’s. So you can save your manufactured indignation.

      Especially broad congratulations — sometimes just making things up works, sometimes you get called on it.

        1. You’re the one misunderstanding. The images tagged “from so-and-so” are from friends. The ones without the tag, including all the bumper stickers that have been reproduced or discussed in the media and on this blog, are from Schaffer himself.  

          1. I apologize, I did misunderstand. I concede the point to you, then; Justin did put the picture on his page.

            However, I still don’t see him as anything of a bigot or racist. Immature college guy? Sure, aren’t they all?

            I submit again that judgment on a person’s character and humanity can’t be made on the basis on one satirical, immature comment.

            I’ve known Justin for many years now and he’s anything but a racist. His actions were immature and politically imprudent, but I feel that the ignorant and extrapolating judgments of his character on the basis of this story are too far stretched.

            I understand the impetus for outrage the this story creates, but I feel that the presumptions and downright mean accusations that fly around this realm are one of the worst parts of politics. I simply feel that sympathy and understanding should be shown to a person who made a bad but overall irrelevant decision, especially considering he has apologized and completely removed, not just the questionable content, but his entire  page.

            I know that I am biased on this issue, as he is a good friend of mine, so I’ll recuse myself from anymore debate before I call that into question. However, I am NOT Justin or Wadhams, and I’m not in any way politically affiliated with the family. I’m just a friend, and I simply think this discussion  could be much more civilized, especially in terms of the personal attacks.

            In any case, I’ve made my argument; of course everyone’s free to carry on. I apologize for my misunderstanding on the Facebook issue, I should have looked more into the mechanics of it before I said that everybody was wrong.

            1. When someone randomly puts what they find funny up on a page, others looking at the page can see common threads that the creator was not aware of. And they can show what is inside that person even if they aren’t aware of it.

              We all have some biases. But what that page displayed was way beyond the normal college male drunken horny idiot stuff. That is someone who consistently finds others “beneath him.”

  16. Or maybe I have no killer instinct, or maybe I just don’t get it.

    But I don’t think it’s ever appropriate to drag a candidate’s kids into a campaign controversy.

    Sorry, but Justin Schaffer isn’t running for anything.  His dad is just as big a twit and IS running.  That’s where all criticism should be leveled.

    Then again, at the risk of repeating myself, maybe I just don’t get it.

  17. The college has all the right in the world to Charge this kid.  He must learn that there is a price to pay for stupid and being disrespectful.  

    He either did not learn respect when his parents taught him or his parents did not teach him the lesson of respect…well maybe he will learn what respect is NOW!

    Using a representation of Jesus in this manner was the worst.  A Christian would never ever use a poster like that!

  18. Josh Marshall puts the Cap’n Bootyplunder story on top of the Talking Points Memo front page overnight. He comes up with an interesting Grand Unified Shilling Theory to explain the elder Schaffer’s puzzling defense of the Mariana Islands sweatshops.

    It’s worth clicking through to the TPM article for the extensive links to previous Schaffer scandals, all of which receive their due here:

    In Bob Schaffer’s Defense …



    08.06.08 — 12:33AM By Josh Marshall

    We’ve hit pretty hard over recent months on Colorado GOP senate candidate Bob Schaffer. First there were his ties to Jack Abramoff and his sweat shop enslaving pals in the Mariana Islands. Then he was tied to a felony trial where one of his old political handlers was convicted of defrauding the government. And the last we heard from him he was cutting an oil deal with the Iraqi Kurds that the State Department said endangered America. So it’s been a solid campaign so far.

    But today’s news that his son was found to have a series of arguably racist statements and images on his site as well as a photo of Obama doctored to look like he’s a member of the Taliban raises an interesting possibility (update: Jr.’s college is now apparently considering disciplinary action against him.)

    The ‘joke’ on Schaffer’s Facebook site that got the most attention was a poster which reads “Slavery Gets Shit Done” against a backdrop of the Egyptian pyramids.

    Now, as you remember, back in April, unprompted, Schaffer touted the guest worker program in the Mariana Islands as a great model and one we should emulate here on the mainland — notwithstanding the fact that the situation in the Marianas became notorious all over the world for sweat shop conditions, forced abortions, abusive workplace practices, sexual slavery and a whole bunch of other modern day workplace management best practices. He not only carried their water on Capitol Hill. He also went on one of Abramoff’s junkets to the Islands to investigate claims of abuses (which he concluded didn’t exist) and also parasail.

    But here’s the key thing. Back when we were looking into this in April, there was one thing that didn’t quite compute. Unlike a lot of other Abramoff pals who stood up for the sex slavers on Capitol Hill, Schaffer didn’t seem to have gotten much money out of Abramoff. In fact, virtually none.

    So Paul Kiel and I had to consider the possibility that rather than being corrupt stooge willing to gloss over manifest outrages in exchange for a seat on the Abramoff gravy train, Schaffer may just have been ideologically pro-sweat shop and pro-slavery. And now Schaffer’s son’s endorsement of slavery on his Facebook page lends some new credence to this theory.

  19. .

    Now, I could be the butt of an inside joke,

    but the young folks who have seen that “SLAVERY” picture that I’ve heard from tell me that it’s NOT about the slavery of blacks, or of Israelites (who,despite the movie, didn’t build the pyramids.)

    Apparently this is a young peoples’ joke about, brace yourselves, marriage.  

    As in, “Why get married, just to be someone’s slave ?”

    Can folks 18 – 22 comment on this ?

    .

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