Illinois Republican Party

Bustos Surrogate Attacks Free Speech
7/30/2012

Chicago Alderman Proco Joe Moreno (D-Chicago), a leading surrogate for the congressional campaign of former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Callahan-Bustos (D-East Moline), has taken the unusual step of attempting to block a Chick-fil-A restaurant from getting a business license in his Chicago Ward based solely on the views expressed by Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy.

Cathy recently expressed his personal support for the traditional definition of marriage - a union between one man and one woman. This led to harsh criticism from some left-wing corners, with Moreno leading the charge against Chick-fil-A bringing jobs to Chicago.

But the question now arises: if Moreno is so distraught by one person’s exercising of their First Amendment right to free expression that he would use his official power as an alderman to actively prevent job creation in Chicago, would Cheri Callahan-Bustos take similar action if elected to the U.S. House of Representatives?

Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) recently said, “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values.”

“Apparently, free speech does not represent a ‘Chicago value,’” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady. “ And, apparently, Alderman Moreno agrees. But Cheri Callahan-Bustos owes it to the constituents she is fighting to represent to explain the extent to which she would block jobs in an attempt to take a stand against free speech.”

Callahan-Bustos, daughter of the late Gene Callahan, has proudly touted Moreno as one of her close friends and valued surrogates on the campaign trail - though it remains unclear why she spends so much time campaigning in Chicago instead of in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, which covers northwestern Illinois.

Callahan-Bustos has yet to declare whether or not she supports her surrogate’s anti-free-speech, anti-jobs actions. The people of her district are also still wondering whether she intends on representing the values of the Illinois 17th, should she win in November, or whether she will represent her friend Moreno’s “Chicago Values.”

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