New NY 23rd

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.

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I arrived at the Allen Town Hall outside  Fillmore, northwest of Hornell around 3:00, knowing that the Town Hall meeting was scheduled to start at 4:00.  I was happy that the weather wasn’t what I expected for an average February day. I should have realized that Sunny and temperatures in the 50*’s would have made the grounds of the Town Hall very muddy. But, I didn’t. At least it was sunny and in the 50’s.

We we got there we quickly realized that it was best to park our car on the side of the road. A good size crowd already gathered. There was a of talking, seeing old acquaints  and meeting new ones. We admired each other’s signs and political T-Shirts, and took pictures of them. It was obvious most we there because they had a gripe with what is happening in our nation capital. There was a small group, maybe a two dozen, that held Trump and Wendy Long yard signs.

Before Rep Reed arrived, a lady with a bull-horn lead us in a verse of “This Land Is Your Land”. Another person with a bull-horn stood on a large truck bed behind most of the crowd told us that he would let us use his bull-horn to ask questions, but not to use it to yell at Rep. Reed.

Rep. Reed’s advance team kept telling us that he would arrive soon. Someone made a point that they wanted a full hour with Reed, and was told that was why he was late. He went overtime at the earlier events and would stay here as long as he needed to. When he arrived one of the bull-horns owner started a  “This is what Democracy looks like”. Reed joined in.

After Reed arrived, it took only a few minutes to get the meeting going. It started with a pledge of alliance. We had to pretend to look at someone’s flag lapel pin, since the only visible flag was one brought by a “hard right protester” which was displayed upside down which is a signal that there is dire distress.

The meeting room at the Town Hall legally holds 49 people. The weather was nice, and we had multiple bull-horns so it was held outside.  Many questions were asked using the bull-horns, and Rep. Reed answered  by using a bull-horn.

The crowd, being noisy at times was generally quiet and listening to the questions. They waited for the answers before they reacted. They often reminded the representative to “Answer The Question” when he used the topic to fall back on GOP talking points and not answering the particular question. When Rep. Reed told the crowd what he thinks, (He is Pro-Life) the crowd reminded him that he is suppose represent his constituents and  the constitution. “You Work For Us!” was a common chant.

He listened to a breast cancer patient making a case for not repealing the ACA, and an immigrant telling her story. He was compassionate, but did not waver from the GOP talking points. A question was asked about cutting funds (I think completely) from Western New York refugee programs. Rep. Reed said the had not heard about that, took the questioner’s contact information.

We learned:

• He will not support a Single Payer health insurance
• He thinks that “we all can agree” that medicare is failing financially
• He was assured by President Trump that his campaign team had no contact with the Russians before the election
• He is “pro-life” and will vote his conscience
• He believes the reason Michael Flynn was fired was be wasn’t truthful to the Vice President, not because he talked with the Russians. Reed will keep believing it unless investigations finds something different
• He said he voted against a proposal to have federal public officials to release their tax forms. He didn’t want to hold them to higher standards that private citizen.

The crowd did not like any of those views..

There were problems hearing the questions and even the answers. That had nothing to do with the noise in the crowd, but many had not used a bull-horn before and there is a trick on hold one, pushing the button, speaking into it and reading the question. I thought the batteries might have been running out.

In the future I would expect that Rep. Reed’s Team would locate larger venues, possibly schools, for his Town Hall Meetings. That could give more order to the meeting, and with a microphones inside, instead of bull-horns outside, people could be able to hear more of the questions/answers.

Rep. Reed needs to really answer the questions. There were too many times in Fillmore that he repeated the GOP talking points instead of going to the point of the question. He needs to put the 716,000 constituents above the needs of the industries that paid for his campaign and the wants of the republican party.

His team has already indicated that they play to be in Tompkins County in the spring. They also aid in Fillmore that their Town Hall schedule will put in large towns and small towns. I read that the part time worker in Tom’s Ithaca office said that he will be in each of the 11 NY23 counties every year. Since they have a Town Hall schedule, they should

We are not going to change his mind. We are not going to change the minds of his far right voters. The best we an hope for is to show the moderate voter, the independent voter, the third party voter, and others that the GOP/Trump agenda is bad for America, and the NY23rd.

Channel 8 of Rochester’s Report and Video from Fillmore 

Hornell Evening Tribune’s article about the Fillmore Town Hall Meeting

Note: In a comment on the February 20 NewNY23rd article, “Tom Reed needs Tompkins County, and how!” states that there were 250-300 people at Fillmore, and points out other information about the Town Hall.

Comments are welcomed, especially from others who attended Fillmore or the other Town Hall Meeting. 

Coming soon: What Rep. Reed said about Medicaid and Black Lives Matter at the Fillmore Town Hall Meeting.

S.2038 – STOCK Act 112th Congress CRS Summary (Excerpts, read the whole thing here.) Public Law No: 112-105 (04/04/2012) Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 or STOCK Act – (Sec. 3) Requires the congressional ethics committees to issue interpretive guidance … Continue reading

Posted in Political, Congress, Ethics Tagged NY-23, Rep. Langworthy, The STOCK Act, H.R. 1138, Insider trading

In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Political Tagged H.R. 1, H.R. 5, NY-23, Rep. Langworthy, Rep. Molinaro, Sen. Kirsten Gilliibrand, Speaker McCarthy

The impact of the Farm Wage Board’s decision cannot be understated. — Rep. Langworthy, facebook Feb. 23, 2023 Nicholas would tell us what to think. The issue is fair wages for farm workers, but one might not know that after … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Political Tagged Agriculture, Chicken Little, Farm Workers, Fighting words, NY-23, Overtime, Rep. Langworthy

I will always fight to protect the American Dream and ensure that government helps, not hurts our job-creators.–Rep. Langworthy, facebook 02/13/23 The Defund the Police movement is alive and well in New York. I will always fight to restore law … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Political Tagged bills, Lakes Before Turbines Act, NY-23, Rep. Langworthy

 A Member . . . [or an] officer, or employee of the House [paid at or above the “senior staff” rate], may not –(d)  serve for compensation as an officer or member of the board of an association, corporation, or other entity; —House Rule … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Economics, Environmental, Ethics, Legislation, Political Tagged Joe Sempolinski, Nick Langworthy, NY-23, Tom Reed

I think some of the people against him (McCarthy) are really looking for perfection when right now we need to really come together to solve the problems that our country faces.–Rep. Claudia Tenney Now we move on to legislation: things … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Political Tagged 2023, NY-23, Rep. Higgens, Rep. Langworthy, Rep. Tenney

NY-23 Party Affiliation for the Nov. Election Democrats Republicans Unaffiliated Total 165 201 120 530 31% 38% 23% Registered voters (1000s)

Posted in Political Tagged 2022, Democrats in the NY-23, Erie County, NY-23, Republicans in the NY-23

When we try to curb the surges of unchanging human nature, or to quench a conflagration with an act of legislature … we are every bit as foolish as I’ll prove to any jury, as those enterprising beavers when they … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Drugs, Economics, Farm Bill, fracking, Gun Violence, Health Care, Immigration, Political, pro-life/pro-choice, Social Security Tagged 2022, Max Della Pia, Nick Langworthy, NY-23

Max writes: Here’s what I stand for: Here’s an overview of the issues I will prioritize as a representative: Safety net: A struggling family could find themselves homeless quickly & without fault. There needs to be a viable safety net. … Continue reading

Posted in Campaigning, Congress, Political Tagged Abortion, democracy, Equal Rights, General Election, Healthcare, Issues, Max Della Pia, Nick Langworthy, NY-23

We need leaders who will fight for all of us. Max has spent a lifetime putting service above self, and he won’t stop in Washington, but he needs our help to get him there. Will you help?–Max Della Pia Congressional candidate Max … Continue reading

Posted in Campaigning, Congress, Political Tagged Max Della Pia, Nick Langworthy, NY-23, The Park Church

According to the Olean Times Herald, Cattaraugus County Democrats will meet on Saturday (January 27) and has invited four of the seven Democratic Candidates:

Eddie Sundquist received the endorsement of the Chautauqua County Democratic Committee.  Ian Golden had the most votes in a three county (Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua) Straw Vote fund-raiser in October. Earlier this week, Mitrano received the most votes in a straw poll after the Issue-Focused Forum in Geneva. In the Geneva Straw Poll each audience member could indicate their three favorite candidate. The results were going to be given to the candidates. Mitrano announced that she won by 100 votes.

The candidates are scheduled to be at a Meet and Greet activity in Seneca Falls on Sunday.  Tompkins County Democratic Committee will be hosting its candidate forum and straw poll on February 12.  Are other get-togethers being planned?

Petitioning to get on the June 26 Democratic Primary begins on March 6, and have to be turned into the State Board of Elections in Albany on April 12. Each candidate need to have at least 1250 NY-23 registered democratic signatures to be a certified candidate.

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• As i read all these comments from you moronic idioms.
• Marshall law.
• Traders to our country (like Benedict Arnold).
• Where was the outrage in Washington state along with other states who were under seize.
• Impeachment dilutes The Constitution.
• I’m grateful to the ten Democratics who voted in favor.
• Black listing has begun.

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Russia has realized that the internet is a marvelous means for spreading propaganda. Releasing fake news is all that is needed. Without having to recruit and pay many agents, an army of helpful trolls sends and resends the message. This … Continue reading

Posted in Media Tagged Islamophobia, propaganda, sex candals, United Nations

Donald Trump has views that are foreign to many Republicans:

• He would make deals. Deals require compromise which Republicans often deplore.
• He would enact trade barriers to keep jobs at home. Republicans traditionally favor free trade. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a fortune sending auto parts manufacturing jobs overseas.
• He would raise the Federal minimum wage.
• The GOP wishes to court women and minorities; Trump would drive them out.
• He would abandon reliance on allies and on NATO which have been central to American and Republican defense policy.

Trump is certainly not an establishment Republican, but that isn’t the main objection to his nomination–he has no experience in government and no record to gauge his ability to serve effectively.

This entry was posted in 2016, trade, War and tagged Donald Trump. Bookmark the permalink.

Tracy Mitrano

Well done, Tracy Mitrano.

*Preliminary results

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_23rd_congressional_district

https://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/07/ny-23-election-results-tom-reed-tracy-mitrano-congress/1896127002/

This entry was posted in 2018 and tagged Tracy Mitrano. Bookmark the permalink.

… let’s not come to a predetermined conclusion that the president is somehow engaged in this (collusion with Russia) nefarious activity…”–Tom Reed

With “predetermined,” Tom suggests that people are jumping to conclusions. That is hardly the case–we have Trump’s own words as evidence of nefarious activity. Nefarious suggests criminal; it can also mean corrupt, evil, malicious and wicked. With “somehow” Tom suggests uncertainty. There is nothing uncertain about Trump’s stubborn faith in Michael Flynn or his oval office meeting with Russian diplomats.

On MSNBC, Reed mentioned the Trump administration’s involvement with Russia “during the election.” The investigation should focus on the Trump administration’s involvement with Russia before, during, and after the election.

Reed  mentioned the need for “factual evidence.” Is there any other kind? Are 18 unreported contacts with Russian agents factual evidence, one wonders.

http://www.mytwintiers.com/news/local-news/rep-reed-talks-trump-investigations-on-msnbc/717909279

This entry was posted in Reed’s Views, Trump and tagged espionage, Michael Flynn, MSBD, Russia. Bookmark the permalink.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, … –The Constitution

I am supportive of going in person and doing that legislative process. — Rep Tom Reed

Reed said that while he is supportive of returning to work at the Capitol, he understands his colleagues’ concerns, and feels virtual hearings and debate could potentially be a feasible alternative as the country continues to battle the health crisis. op. cit.

The authors of The Constitution clearly intended members to meet, debate, and vote. Could this be done without assembling? It would be a stretch to think this constitutional.

• Our founders expected responsible debate.
• Often speakers in the House today address an empty room.
• Members are rushing home as soon as possible rather than socializing with others in The Capitol.

So are virtual hearings, debate, and remote voting acceptable? Can the constitutional requirement that Congress assemble be stretched to include virtual assembly?

Congress needn’t assemble in the Capitol building, they could choose another venue more suited to the times, which would allow sufficient social distancing. However, reasoning together may require rubbing shoulders with one’s fellows–it is a dilemma.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/496520-bipartisan-caucus-set-to-hold-virtual-congress-on-thursday