This article was written by Russell Tocqueville, a NY23rd resident
Elections come and go, we all become a little wiser as cycles pass, and we learn more about our Southern Tier as cycles come and go. My message to all of us from Ithaca to 
Binghamton, from Jasper to Big Flats is to not freak out. In this tunnel of darkness there is an opening. For now two eras are over. The era of the Democratic party at the national and state level taking for granted working class communities like Elmira and Hornell is over, for the sake of the national party it is time to invest in the grassroots, it is our time to work with our local county democratic parties and run for local office. The era of Southern Tier Republican politicians having dictatorial like powers in our region is over, even though we lost all of our candidates ran ahead of Hillary some even by double digits. No more one party counties or anymore one party towns this era is over. Gone is the era of family dynasties running for local office, and I promise you Tom Reed will suffer defeat in the era of Trump.
In Chemung County alone, democrats added to their local bench, and the Republicans could not find someone to challenge our democratic County Clerk.
This is a turning point for our party we must redouble our efforts to win back the tier.
I will not bore you with statistical data or analysis, but what I will say this. Sanders supporters and Clinton supporters the circular firing squad needs to stop. Let us learn what we did wrong, correct it and move on. Now is not the time to say we need to write off one community or the other. The idea that the 40% of Obama voters who live 50 miles outside of a major metro area who voted for Trump are now just racist deplorables because you want Hillary to be flawless is absurd. It is as absurd as saying that this is now the time to hop to the far left rhetorically. Now is not the time to take people of color, or rural folks for granted just so that liberals in big cities can feel good about themselves. As a person of color from a rural area, I don’t need people to declare themselves my ally because I’m a person of color then condemn me because I am rural. We need to fight, and stop making up excuses, Trump Country used to be Obama Country and that’s a problem.
We fight this by ensuring that there are again no unchallenged local officials, no schoolboard seats left empty. The Southern Tier must become a training ground for the next generation of progressive activists and elected officials, because it is one thing to organize and protest in Manhattan it is another whole separate thing to mobilize and organize in rural America.
The path going forward involves organizing in communities of color, standing up tp bigotry, and instilling class consciousness in rural America. Equality is equality whether you wake up in a farm or a high rise.
Now is not the time to find someone to blame, now is the time for you to go to your County board of elections website, check out which positions are in 2017 for elections, and then engaging in democracy not just for your sake but for the sake of our Southern Tier. Engage in democracy for our Southern tier.
Stop freaking out, start fighting back.
New NY 23rd 
Well said, Mr.Tocqueville.
Along with your suggestions, may i add a few that are necessary to achieve our mutual ideals?
Communally work to overturn Citizen’s United, overturn the changes in the Voter Rights Act, and to follow those politicians who have been elected, and out them publicly when they say they’ll do one thing and vote the opposite.
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Trump’s election may well signal the end of an era for Democrats and Republicans, but not necessarily the beginning of an era of Trump. One has to wish Trump success–if he fails to deliver disgruntled voters may discard him possibly in favor of someone we might like even less.
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It’s hard to imagine any person of the Alt Right, Tea Party, KKK, warmongers, and manipulators would like more than Trump. It’s even harder to imagine hoping Trump succeeds with his plans to crush civil rights, repeal the ACA, forego the US from remaining committed to NATO, Nuclear Agreement, the Iran Deal, and being a scourge to immigrants.
I’m really busy hoping that Trump does not ‘succeed’ with his previously stated plans. To live in fear of a Trump perceived (by those who voted him in) failure, suggests the only government that would satisfy them, would be all out anarchy. Does that suggest a military coup? A return to sanity by the population? Are there means given by the Constitution to disqualify an unstable President without all out civil war?
Donald Trump is clueless about the American ways of life. All of them. His ‘brains of the operation’ managed to bring the American experience of suffering from GOP policies down on the heads of Democrats. Brilliant. But now with a ‘Republican’ President, Republican led Senate and House, there will be only so long the new policy failures can be blamed on the Obama White House. It’s on Trump and his followers now. With every finger they point, three will point back at them.
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I am much impressed by President Obama’s realization that Trump needs help, and his determination to do what he can to help.
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If President Obama had years to prep Trump, would it change the man Trump is?
Of course we expect President Obama to be the outstanding President he has always been, but Trump’s stated possible Cabinet appointees will wipe out any shred of light Obama could transfer to Trump.
I realize you are trying to be hopeful, and that we must try to be – but none of my hopes are pinned on Trump doing the right thing; it will have to be others that step up.
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It is impossible to know what the future may be. Would we be happier with Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, or Ted Cruz? I think not. Might Donald Trump overcome his inexperience to become a respected President? It is possible.
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To imagine any President getting past what Donald Trump has already said and done before even being nominated, I can only imagine him being ‘respected’ by the scoundrels that made sure he was elected. As for the others you mention as alternatives being elected: one is Black ( doubtful that would happen again for decades -centuries?), a woman (chuckle), and two religious zealots who ran out of support very early in the nomination process.
Thanks for your optimism, I hope it proves correct; of course we can only wait and see.
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