In the small town of Belfast, New York, population 1,600, Jim and Mary Mountain have become outcasts in recent weeks, shunned by their neighbors. Their sin: they are the only residents with a “Hillary” sign on their front lawn.

“We are kind of the exception to the rule,” chuckled Mary, 80, a retired postmaster and a lifelong resident of the town. “My daughter’s friend drove all the way from Rochester to Friendship and the only Hilary sign she saw was on our lawn.”

The Mountains live right along the major road in the area, Route 19, so if you need to get anywhere in the county, chances are you will pass by their yard.

Her husband Jim, now 82 and also retired, worked for Dresser-Rand, an industrial equipment supplier, and served on the Belfast Town Board. In his 12 years of service, he was the only Democrat.

Belfast is located in Allegany County, the third poorest county in the State. The county’s population is around 47,000 people, and its per capita income is $20,000 a year. Though economically poor, Allegany is rich with rolling hills, dairy farms, and pick-up trucks. According to the New York State Board of Elections, there are twice as many registered Republicans than Democrats in Allegany County.

So why do the Mountains vote left in a region that is a predominantly conservative? Jim says that he believes the Democrats are “for the poor guys, they are the first ones to help out the small guy.” He continued, “I don’t believe in giving everything to the rich, I’ve always been a Democrat for that reason.”

Mary said that she doesn’t understand why a lot of people don’t trust Hillary. “I think she’s a good person and they have given her a lot of trouble to get to where she is today.”

The Mountains, who are elderly and rely on many medications, fear that if Trump gets elected he will abolish Social Security and Medicare. “Those are good programs,” said Jim. “It would kill us if we didn’t have the Medicare. It would take everything else we got, it’s a big help.”

Their neighbors have not reacted well to the couple’s Hillary sign. “Yeah, they holler at us,” said Jim, who seemed to brush it off easily. However, Mary has experienced more severe taunts. One day she was out retrieving her mail at the end of their gravel driveway when a driver in a big truck yelled “F–K YOU!” at her. “I’m surprised someone hasn’t shot bullets through it yet,” said Mary of the sign.

The Mountain’s sign has certainly caused a stir in the area.

“I don’t know them, but I think it’s stupid to vote for Hillary,” said neighbor Anne Chamberlain,30 a stay-at-home mother and a registered Republican. “She scares me and I don’t have a good feeling about her. She reminds me of Hitler.” said Chamberlain.

Asked why she plans to vote for Trump, Chamberlain responded, “I guess he is the less of two evils.”

Darlene Redance, 34, another neighbor, is aware of the Hillary sign and does not approve.

“I don’t like it, I just don’t want Hillary as president. I don’t like her, she should be in jail,” said Redance, “I think Trump will bring this world where it needs to be.” She does not understand why the Mountains approve of Hillary, adding, “I’m confused about that one, doesn’t make any sense to me.”

A little bit further north along Route 19 lives Chuck Babbitt, a crop and dairy farmer. Babbitt, 63, is very enthusiastic about the GOP candidate and is baffled that his nearby neighbors don’t feel the same way.

“I think everybody ought to be voting for Trump,” said Babbitt. “I’m voting of Trump because I don’t want Hillary.”

Babbitt believes that Hillary would be just the same as President Obama.

“Obama doubled the debt in his term, where was the change we were supposed to be believe in?” said Babbitt. “I think he has been one of the worst presidents ever.”

Chamberlain, Redance, and Babbitt couldn’t exactly articulate reasons why they believe that Trump will help the residents of Allegany County and the country as a whole. Asked why Republican candidates are good for farmers and people in poorer counties, Babbitt replied “I don’t know about that one, I haven’t thought about it.” Chamberlain said that Trump wants to bring back the “Old America.” But what does that look like? “Basically before Obama” said Chamberlain.

Being a Democrat in a small town is like showing up to an Adidas PR Party decked out in Nike apparel. The Mountains are surrounded by people who may never see this side of the coin.

Residents of rural areas tend to vote Republican, a perpetual reflection of the urban-rural divide in politics. According to a an NBC/ Wall Street Journal poll, Trump leads Hillary 64% to 27% in rural areas across the states. Trump particularly does well among older, white Americans. Considering both Jim and Mary are in their 80s and white, they are defeating yet another stereotype.

Just as the Republicans in the town can’t wrap their heads around how the Mountains can vote for Hillary, the Mountains can’t wrap their heads around how their neighbors can be for Trump. “I have no idea why people are voting for him in this community” laughed Mary. “Maybe it’s because he has driven into people’s heads that Hillary is evil.”

Even though Jim is used to being outnumbered by his conservative neighbors (He and Mary both voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012), he is surprised by the large number of Trump signs he sees in his neighborhood.

“I don’t understand how there are so many. He has said so many things that are just off the cuff, not things that you would want to hear from a future president,” said Jim.

“Anybody that could vote for Trump could vote for that dog right there,” said Jim pointing to their dog, Milly. His wife interjected quickly, “Milly probably wouldn’t vote for him either!”

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Before John Di Domenico donned the blond wig that would help him rise to worldwide recognition, he was hired to perform for the very man he’s made a career out of impersonating. For Donald Trump’s 55th birthday party at Trump’s Castle in Atlantic City, Di Domenico, dressed as Austin Powers, jumped out of a birthday cake to surprise the mogul.

Fifteen years later, winding down to election day, Di Domenico, dressed as Trump, stood behind Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway in the green room of the Fox & Friends studio. “Kellyanne, you’re doing an absolutely phenomenal job,” he said from behind her as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “You really, really are, I have to tell you.” She jumped, turning around. “I know who you are!” she said. “Can we get a selfie so Mr. Trump can see it?”

As Donald Trump has gained prominence in the past year, other impersonators have joined Di Domenico in making a good living by playing the GOP nominee. Tim Watters, a former real estate agent who became widely-known in 1992 for his Bill Clinton imitations, now finds himself performing as Trump on a daily basis. Elvis impersonator Robert James McArthur has also been transforming himself into Trump.

Di Domenico is slated to appear in Canada on Election Day. “I had multiple offers but the one we settled on is in Montreal, of all places. It’ll be my fourth booking as Trump there in the past six months,” he said, adding that “the Canadians love Trump!”

These men weren’t new to the world of impersonation when Trump first announced his run for president in 2015; the three have a combined 58 years of experience under their belts. Once the initial shock of Trump’s political debut wore off, the three rose to the challenge. Di Domenico knew right away that he’d be dusting off his blonde wig—he’s been impersonating Trump since The Apprentice was at its height. Watters and McArthur had not considered dressing as the Donald at first, but after a little persuasion from their loved ones, decided to give it a shot.

“Impersonation is a subset of general entertainment,” said Di Domenico, a former stand-up comic, who explains that the demands of the job are very specific when you’re hired to dress and act like someone else.

Di Domenico began impersonating Donald Trump in 2004 after booking a voice-over as the tycoon. He has used his characterization of Trump for corporate events, constructing team building exercises based on The Apprentice. He’s gotten a lot of press and has made appearances on Conan O’Brien and Red Eye on Fox News, as well as on local talk shows in Britain and Australia. He also recently starred in a Blackpills original web series “You Got Trumped: The First 100 Days,” about the Donald’s first 100 days in office after a hypothetical victory. Released on Oct. 19 and available for streaming on Facebook and YouTube, the show—with a tagline of “Grabbing America by the pussy”—is as raunchy as most people would imagine a Trump presidency would be.

Watters gained national attention with his characterization of Bill Clinton in 1992. After perfecting the former president’s drawl, he appeared on The Tonight Show nearly 200 times; in 1996, he says that he grossed $1 million. As Donald Trump, Watters makes anywhere between $7,500 to $20,000 a gig, depending on the nature of the event. McArthur, who has been impersonating the GOP nominee since February, is now pulling in $750 an hour for Trump appearances at parties—$250 more than he charges for an Elvis appearance.

These three men, who look nothing like Trump, can transform themselves into the mogul within an hour. They do their own makeup, ringing their eyes with white liner to achieve the “raccoon-type eye” look, as Watters called it, while caking the rest of their faces with what McArthur called the “most orange makeup MAC sells.”

The wig is the next challenge. Di Domenico has three custom-made wigs, costing about $4,000 each, while McArthur’s wig set him back $750. Arranging the wispy blond locks to mirror Trump’s comb-over is the next step. “It takes several attempts to get the hair swept over right. I don’t know how he does it,” McArthur said. “I tried using his actual hairspray, which works great, but it’s the most awful smelling hairspray I’ve ever used.” (For the record, it’s called CHI’s Helmet Head.)

For Watters, the inspiration comes from the wig. “Once I put that wig on my head, it just automatically starts,” he said. Then, Trump’s voice filters through my end of the phone. “It’s un-be-lievable,” he said, elongating the syllables.

“I’m thinking like Trump all the time now,” Watters continued. “If I want to do a smart aleck answer, I adopt the Trump attitude. I will squint my eyes and contort my lips and I will answer as Donald Trump. It’s a little crazy, but it’s so much fun—I can’t help myself.”

Through his training as an actor, Di Domenico learned the importance of liking your character, so he finds himself straddling the line that separates the deep-seated hatred for Trump from the radical adoration that has ripped through the nation. He believes that if he comes off as a political partisan, his comedy suffers and it becomes less appealing to his audience of mixed supporters. Watters says he is non-partisan—but can be for a price—and McArthur says he rarely follows politics, only tuning in for the sake of his portrayal of the nominee.

These impersonators won’t be out of a job if Trump loses on Nov. 8. For Watters, it’s a no-brainer. Bill Clinton will return to Pennsylvania Avenue, and this time, “he’ll be hanging out in the White House with absolutely no responsibility. Oh man, that is a formula for fun, fun, fun,” Watters drawled. He’s not ruling out a Trump victory, however. “I’m already lining up a lot of post-election Trump work, as a lot of business people think he’s going to win,” he said. He’s also gearing up to launch two new shows after the results are in: “Trump vs. Hillary: The Debate Continues,” and “Bill and Hillary: Déjà Vu All Over Again.” He said the latter was written in a way that, with a few minor changes, could either depict Clinton losing in 2016 and running again in four years, or Clinton winning now and running for reelection. “It’s the best of both worlds,” he said. “Either way, I win.”

McArthur, with his deep, gravelly voice, has his musical characters, like Neil Diamond and Elvis Presley, to fall back on. Di Domenico isn’t worried, either; not because he’s working on a backup plan, but because he knows Trump won’t go quietly. “Trump himself has said: ‘I whine until I win,’” he laughed. “He will keep bitching and moaning ‘til they close his casket.”

At the end of the day, the job is really about making people of all political affiliations laugh. Di Domenico recalled a time where a Muslim woman approached him before a performance, stating that she didn’t like him. After the show, he said she made a point to come back to tell him that while she still didn’t like Trump, she liked his version of him. “That’s what I try to do with my performances,” he said. “I want to entertain everybody. I don’t want the character to alienate anyone. That’s really important to me.”

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Jill Stein Rally from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

Around 150 people rallied for the Green Party in the South Bronx Wednesday night where nominee Jill Stein pitched herself as an alternative to the “greater evil and the lesser evil” candidates in the 2016 presidential election.

“We’re looking at Hillary Clinton, who wants to start an air war with Russia over Syria, said Stein at the Hostos Community College Arts Center in the South Bronx. “We are looking at a climate which is in meltdown. One candidate believes in climate change, the other one doesn’t, but both of their policies will destroy the planet, so it doesn’t matter so much what you believe, it matters what you do.”
Stein’s running mate and human rights activist Ajamu Baraka and New York Senate candidate Robin Laverne Wilson were also at the rally.

Faye Gotlieb, 27, of St. George, Staten Island, said she had mainly been a Democrat supporter over the years, but felt she could no longer support the party when Bernie Sanders conceded the primary election.

“I feel like I can’t support Hillary Clinton based on her history and her policies,” she said. “I would like a better alternative—at this point, I think Jill Stein is actually the strongest candidate running, and the most progressive candidate running.”

Stein was not included in the debates because her national polling average of roughly 3 percent did not meet the 15 percent threshold set by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Political cartoonist Eliot Crown, of the East Village, said he believed the Republican and Democratic parties were conspiring to keep Stein from having a legitimate shot at winning the election, pointing to the fact that Stein was not included in the presidential debates.
Crown said Stein was a needed alternative to the other parties, which he alleged are driven by corporate interests.

Bumper stickers, fliers, pins and other campaign paraphernalia lay on a table in the lobby of the Hostos Community College arts center in the South Bronx during a Jill Stein rally yesterday. Around 150 people rallied in support of the Green Party at the college’s arts center where Stein pitched herself as an alternative to the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency. Photo by Razi Syed.

Stein said the Democrats have been disingenuous in their support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We’re looking at a crisis of racism,” Stein said. “The Democrats told their candidates, ‘Just pat Black Lives Matter on their heads and send them on their way. Don’t make any concessions.’
“That’s not how we’re going to solve this problem,” Stein said.

The Stein/Baraka ticket is on the ballot in 44 states, and the District of Columbia. The candidates qualified for write-in status in three additional states, which brings the number of states where voters can cast their ballot in support of the Green Party to 47.

“We’re looking at a crisis of immigration,” she said. “Donald Trump has said bar the gates to Muslims, but Hillary Clinton supported that policy towards Latinos. And the Democrats have been the party of deportation, detention and night raids.”

Paul Gilman, 57, of the South Bronx, is a spokesman for the New York Green Party on drug policy and was outside of the Hostos arts center demonstrating for the legalization of marijuana prior to the start of the rally.

Gilman said drug policy was one issue that was connected to other social and racial problems.

“As as the drug war itself, we’re totally aware of Black Lives Matter and what I call “the Michelle Alexander paradigm” of slavery to Jim Crow to the drug war,” Gilman said. “Once Jim Crow was collapsing, they reinvested in the drug war as a way of disenfranchising blacks, and some Latinos, but mostly blacks. They can’t vote; they lose their gun rights”

Asked how she responded to those who called her campaign a spoiler for the major progressive candidate in the race, Stein said abolitionist parties that stood up against slavery were also called spoiler parties.

“The establishment uses that name for anything they don’t like.” she said. “Right now we are looking at a race to the bottom between the greater evil and the lesser evil political parties.”

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“I’m very anxious and excited,” said Risa Levine, 52. “I even brought champagne to celebrate the announcement.”

Levine wore not only a pink t-shirt with Clinton’s likeness, but her jean jacket was sprinkled with Hillary buttons reading slogans like, “I’m a woman for Hillary” and “Hillary sent me”.

Levine of Manhattan was one of three supporters who stood patiently and excitedly snapping selfies. She was joined by Tim Dangora, 36, also of Manhattan. A tall man donning a Hillary baseball cap and patriotically colored, “Hillary for president” t-shirt he had just one simple statement to make.

“America deserves Hillary,” said Dangora.

According to a March 29th Pew Research Center Poll 59 percent of democrats say there is a “good chance” they will vote for Clinton.

While the Clinton opponents were not physically present, their message could be seen hung from stop lights and pasted randomly to public surfaces. An unknown group or individual placed anti-Clinton posters in the area surrounding One Pierrepoint Plaza early Sunday morning. The design included an unflattering greyscale portrait of Clinton surrounded by phrases such as “Don’t Say Entitled” “Don’t Say Secretive” and “Don’t Say Polarizing”.

Despite her star power Clinton remains a polarizing and sometimes controversial candidate and has been on the receiving end of criticism from politicians and citizens. Republicans were quick to lambaste Clinton after her official announcement calling her untrustworthy.

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