Rock Island Today

The battle is heating up in the 17th Congressional District between U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-East Moline) and her Republican rival in the November general election, Bill Fawell of Galena, who is running under the slogan “Live the dream – take America back."

Ballotopedia.com reports both candidates are running unopposed in their respective primary races; and ahead of the Nov. 6 election, each campaign’s rhetoric shows a marked contrast.

Bustos highlights four key issues on her website: a balanced budget, economic and job growth, veterans affairs, and Medicare and Social Security. The Democrat has also borrowed a page from the national Me Too movement against workplace sexual harassment through her participation in a panel convened to prevent such abuses.

A former reporter with a master’s in journalism, Bustos stresses the value of “hard work, community and helping others,” as she states on the “Meet Cheri” section of her website. Her resume includes work with Women’s Connection, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Junior Achievement. Bustos portrays herself as one who works within the system in an attempt to bring about positive change.

In contrast, Fawell, the author of “New American Revolution: The Constitutional Overthrow of the United States Government,” paints a dystopian view of the U.S. political system. In a 12-minute YouTube video, the DuPage County native invokes President George Washington, quoting from a 1796 warning he issued against allowing the powers of Congress to be usurped.

“We can never allow a power of Congress to be usurped or given over to any public or private agency because this power will always end up in the hands of ‘cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men,’” Fawell states, quoting from Washington’s farewell address to the nation.

In the remainder of the video, Fawell argues that that is precisely what has happened in the lobbyist-controlled America of today, where congressional powers are carried out by public and private agencies run by the executive branch, such as the Federal Reserve, Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The powers of Congress are to legislate, but this is no longer true in America today,” Fawell says in the video. “The truth is, there is no separation of powers in America today.”

In addition to charging that lobbyists have an increasing hand in writing laws to benefit their employers, Fawell also levels criticism at the Supreme Court, citing decisions like Roe v. Wade and Citizens United for eroding congressional power, and thereby, the people’s power, he says.

“Our powers of Congress have also been awarded to the high court, resulting in the most egregious bench laws of Roe v. Wade and Citizens United,” he said. “The first of which steals innocent lives; the second, our elections.”

To remedy what Fawell says has gone wrong in America, he advocates the passage of three key pieces of legislation: term limits on members of Congress; a law requiring an audit of the Federal Reserve since 2010; and the REINS Act, which gives Congress better oversight of spending bills, according to TheHill.com.

“If we can pass these ... bills, we will have righted the very wrongs Washington warned America must never do,” he said.

Fawell outlines his pedigree for the job on his campaign website, mentioning his relatives who have held office: Walter Fawell as West Chicago mayor and Bruce Fawell as DuPage County’s chief judge, among others. Fawell positions himself as an “America first” populist in the “Rand Paul” mode and states he is a champion of the U.S. Constitution.

“Why am I qualified to represent the 17th District in Washington?” he asks. “Because I have taken the time to listen to George Washington, and to study and understand the true design of our Constitution, and the intent of its framers and founders.”