This article was written by Russell Tocqueville, a friend of the New NY23rd, and a long time Southern Tier resident.
Having grown up and spent most of my life in the Southern Tier among friends and family, I can first hand tell you that candidates such as Donald Trump and others do not represent our values and our society. It takes hard work and lots of family to live our lifestyle of hospitality and good values, something that Donald Trump could not buy and wouldn’t be
able to afford. Going down Route 14 along the Finger Lakes, we see that our Southern Tier is a special place that breeds tough no nonsense folks that aren’t afraid to get their hands and dirty and work hard during the week, so that we can spend time well-earned time with family and friends in the weekend whether it be hunting, fishing, or sitting down with your kids for dinner.
Southern Tier values, our values of hard work and determination to family outweigh the billions of dollars an outsourcer like Donald Trump could ever have, because we in the Southern tier have the one thing that hard work and struggle build that Donald Trump will never have. We have heart. For generations families have passed down the same wineries and farms, gone to work in the same factories, gotten up at the crack of dawn to open the same stores in Corning, and Bath, Elmira and dozens of other small towns that makeup our beautiful home. Families, whole families sat down after church on Sunday for a good brunch, and your father or son was always only five minutes away.
Donald Trump the only thing he would do, is figure out a way to rip off our winery owners, steal our farmer’s crop, and figure out a way to shut down all of our factories to send to China. Helped out by his merry henchmen like Tom Reed, Trump will put the final nail in the coffin of our Southern Tier values. Ensuring that families are split up so that family dinners have to become multi state endeavors and trying to earn a decent living is somehow considered a luxury.
The man called our Finger Lakes a war zone. But maybe that’s because Southern Tier Finger Lakes wine probably taste better than anything his Trump Winery will ever produce.
This election ain’t about whether you want walls or you’re with her. It’s about ensuring that the Southern Tier has a fighting chance so that our Southern Tier values are passed along to another generation. So that we have new farmers, and ensure that our families can always be in the same towns, because being able to see your folks shouldn’t be a special occasion, it should be every weekend. Donald Trump doesn’t like political correctness, yet somehow this insult of a politician wants praise from everyone because he was born with it. Congressman Tom Reed, Senator Tom O’mara, and Assemblyman Chris Friend expect praise for not getting much done, because they believe we send them to Albany and DC, to get participation medals in government not to legislate. But what kind of person thinks they should get a salary from us the people, in return for them sending out a mailer showing how beholden they are to downstate and corporate interests.
This election is about ensuring that young people can have work in our region, not just so some billionaire on the Upper East Side can say he ran for president. There is no momentum in joking about sexually assaulting women and anyone who believes that isn’t looking out for our best interests.
This election, look at the ticket that’ll fight for our wine, and our farms, and our factories. Support Captain John Plumb for Congress, a navy vet from Randolph, because Tom Reed is more preoccupied ensuring himself before he fights for us. Elect Leslie Danks Burke to the State Senate, because she’ll look out for the farmsteads in Chemung County, and not the High rises of the Upper East Side. Elect Bill Batrowny for State Assembly because a voice in the majority with our values brings results to the Southern Tier with our values. It’s time for the changing winds to blow towards prosperity, not nostalgia.
New NY 23rd 
“Donald Trump Don’t”?????
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mr. Tocqueville. You remind us that America is already great, and will keep getting better, if honest and fair politicians are working for us.
I played in some of those vineyards, and picked blueberries in the woods of Hector. The Southern Tier is full of possibilities if we make sure the greedy aren’t syphoning off our lands and waters for dangerous get rich quick schemes. And if as you write – we need strong decent people elected who will put the people of the NY23rd district ahead of their private interests.
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No, Donald Trump don’t represent the spirit of our counties. Donald Trump himself and his minions who would turn our precious lands into gas fields, our homes into shanties, and our women into chattel. The word ‘don’t’ fits quite nicely considering Trump can’t do us harm by himself, but those who would vote for him can. And that ain’t a good thing.
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Nice reply. I thought it worked in that sense too. Just curious…do we have any sense of how Plumb is doing with voters? Are there any polls?
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Who the hell are you people kidding. The southern tier is a failing economy! We need to be put to work! So many jobs have been lost that people are leaving the area! Look at the facts! The statistics! You people have a seriously ignorant sense of reality!
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Trump’s Co-Chair of his NYS Campaign, our congressman Tom Reed has voted for every trade bill that he has seen, including the fast tracking Trans-Pacific Partnership. Only after John Plumb announced he was NOT in favor of the TPP did Reed realize it would be better for him politically to be oppose of it. What has Reed done to help us in the six years we’ve paid his salary? Lots of meetings, lots of photo opportunities and little success. He voted against increase funding for Amtrak. Luckily Sen Schemer was able to find away to get the funds so that an Alstom, an Hornell firm manufacturing trains for Amtrak could hire 700 more workers. Reed wants local governments to pay the losses that investors made in the boom and bust hydrofracking industry.
John Plumb has a well thought out program that protects the jobs we have and creates new ones. Where’s Reed’s? He is waiting for industry to tell him what to support. Where’s Trump’s? He is in the Twilight Zone and we’re going to wake up in the 1950’s and have all the factories back running full force. Trump is all talk and no details. Look at his boasting about his sexual adventures then denying everything.
Mr. Tocqueville is correct. Trump and Reed don’t represent the Southern Tier values.
View at Medium.com
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I had to delete a comment by “Al Johnson” since he didn’t relate one comment about the this article. Maybe he missed the menu item “How to Comment” which reads:
Rules for commenting intelligently here and elsewhere:
Stick to the subject.
Try to state your point clearly and succinctly.
Your opinion may be interesting, someone else’s opinion less so.
Don’t bother to echo propaganda–no one cares.
If you quote something, cite the source.
Be polite, avoid insult and innuendo.
As Tom Reed claims toothlessly for his facebook page, “Content that is explicit, racial, or vulgar in any form … will be removed.
Constructive, relevant comments are welcome.
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I deleted a comment from ‘Al Johnson’. His response did not relate to any of the issues brought up in this article. Obviously he did not read the “How to Comment” directions from the top menu. Here it is:
Rules for commenting intelligently here and elsewhere:
Stick to the subject.
Try to state your point clearly and succinctly.
Your opinion may be interesting, someone else’s opinion less so.
Don’t bother to echo propaganda–no one cares.
If you quote something, cite the source.
Be polite, avoid insult and innuendo.
As Tom Reed claims toothlessly for his facebook page, “Content that is explicit, racial, or vulgar in any form … will be removed.
Constructive, relevant comments are welcome.
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Here’s the latest I could find of a conglomeration of polls.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/polls.html?_r=0
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