Bob Schanz: Republican Candidate for Missouri's 7th Congressional District

With Bob Schanz entered the Missouri 7th Congressional District Republican field, he became the only American Senatorial American Spirit Award winner in the field. The American Senatorial Spirit Award is a prestigious award which only 100 Americans receive each year. Other notable winners include Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Norman Schwarzkopf.

The award exemplifies those who share an inherent belief in the greatness of our country. The medal is presented for those who display dedication, leadership, and commitment in support of Republican ideas, principles, and ideals.

I sat in Chez Roberts in Nixa, Missouri, learning more about the surprise entry in the crowded field, listening to the praises of the staff of the restaurant, and they pointed out Schanz’s dedication and community involvement in Southwest Missouri. I knew I was in the presence of a special man. Without a doubt, Schanz is one of the most colorful men in the race.

Not only can he make the claim as the lone winner of the American Senatorial American Spirit Award, he probably is the only candidate in the race that can claim Ringo Starr of the Beatles attempted to assault him after taking the picture of the famous drummer. In fact, I am willing to bet he is probably the only candidate who could have called Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley at a moment’s notice and have access to the the King himself. Schanz shared with me the pictures he had taken of Elvis and other celebrities over many decades, celebrities that include Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Gerald Ford, and a long list of country music’s legends.

Schanz has been many things in his life. He started off as a singer in Nashville with Boulder Records. He’s been a record producer at Kash Records, entertainer, commodity trader, radio personality, and a business owner, but his claim to fame came from an invitation from Mel Tillis. While Schanz was touring and singing, he kept a collection of cameras with him at all times. He got a call from Tillis one night wondering if had his cameras on him because he needed a someone to take pictures.

A few weeks later Schanz photos appeared on Tillis’s next album cover. He got paid more for that picture than he did singing, so he established Schanz Studios in Nashville. He spent the next few decades earning prestigious positions as an official photographer for ASCAP and the Country Music Association.

What drives Schanz these days is ethics in government. He has been called by one newspaper ‘the man politicians love to hate.’ He has fought long and hard to maintain honest government in Taney County, Missouri. Most recently, he has been fighting for an audit of the Taney County government.

Schanz founded the Taney County Citizens in Action (CIA) organization. Now defunct, their goal was to enforce ethics in local and county government. Now Schanz wants to take what he learned in Taney County as a citizen activist and challenge the system in Washington DC.

He found himself angered at Obama, Pelosi, and Reid, and decided he could do something about it by running for Congress. He opposes the special treatments Congress gets today, and is tired of their big spending and especially the bailouts. He feels by challenging the powers that be that he can start a grassroots movement in Congress that will spread not only into the federal government but state and local government as well.

Schanz also believes Americans are taxed to the max. He wants to look for viable solutions that permanently eases Americans’ tax burdens. He is a strong advocate of the Second Amendment, and wants to fight big government as well.

His real passion is holding Congress to the same laws they pass. He wants to make sure violators face the same penalties that regular Americans face when they break the law. If Bob Schanz is elected to Congress, he will be a strong voice of government ethics.

Currently Schanz is working to help promote Twice Adopted. They are a music group of adopted children from Guatemala and Peru, which he hopes he can help get them recorded. They currently sing in Branson.

Schanz’s Web site is not live. He has bought the domain name which is http://www.bobforcongress.org/. Bob says the new Web site should be up in a few weeks. Until then, he asks voters, supporters, and the media to call him if they have any questions about his candidacy. Schanz phone number is (417) 336-5229.