We have to say upfront that the location from which this column is written (in the U.S.) only receives mail from the U.S. Post Office two times a week. It used to be six so you tell us, do we have an ax to grind with regard to the postal service?
More on that in a minute...
More importantly, congress left town this week without a deal on a Covid-relief package for Americans in the midst of what Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called today, a 'horror show.' He also used the phrase 'economic desperation' to describe millions of American families facing eviction and food emergencies, and the message from the White House and Congress is clearly that "you're on your own."
Now whatever you or more exactly a conservative congressperson thinks for the Democratically-passed House bill, it was passed back in May and then it sat on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-TN) desk for three months. Now, he may have thought that the bill was a piece of shat because it was passed with a Democratic majority, but the fact is he kept confirming judges while ignoring working Americans. It was only in the week that the benefits were to expire that he picked it, promptly handed it off and maintained a persona non grata position while the negotiations continued.
While locked in this stalemate, the president's mega-donor Louis Dejoy, now Postmaster General, is as President Barack Obama put it 'kneecapping' the post office so that Donald Trump can call into question the integrity of mail-in voting and explicitly said this week that the post office isn't going to get the money they need because he doesn't want mail-in ballots deciding the election.
However, once again Mr. Trump is hurting his own interests.
On top of the pandemic which negatively impacts every single American (5.3 million infections and 169,000+ deaths, as of today by the way), as Kasie Hunt pointed out, so does mail disruption and no one likes it especially during a pandemic when every American relies on it more than ever, especially in rural communities as NBC's Carol Lee pointed out. In his bid to win reelection, Mr. Trump will be suppressing his own base's vote. Rank and file Republicans understand this and probably applaud the effort to suppress the vote, but not at the expense of their own constituents. For them it's the delay vital services that the post office delivers to their communities that has set their collective hairpieces on fire.
However, a resolution for the post office is tied to the relief package which languished in the Senate so once again, thank you very little Mr. McConnell.
The U.S. Post Office was an invention of Benjamin Franklin and until two years ago, the first post office in Philadelphia that his son managed was a functioning post office (since closed for tourism). Think about that for a second... the name of its originator; the duration. Then think that one of the things that the Senate does is vote of naming U.S. Post Office locations, which they usually name after themselves. Why tear down the buildings that carry your name? That's some legacy.
With all this said, it is still necessary to note that Senator Bernie Sanders made it very clear that this is a 'sabotaging of our democracy,' and you'd be pressed to disagree. Given that, Mr. Sanders rightly smacked down Mr. Todd's question about progressives maybe not being satisfied by the Biden/ Harris ticket. Progressive and moderate Democrats alike are all on the same page with Mr. Sanders in thinking that this election is about saving American democracy so petty squabbles matter little at this point.
If all this wasn't enough there is also the threat of election interference, which National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien politicized on today's program. It's particularly sad since in the first half of the interview, he recapped what is genuinely good news - the historic normalizing of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Mr. O'Brien got a bit over his skis this week saying that this is Mr. Trump's Nobel moment... please. What's really not good is that he put Russia's active election interference measures on the same level as China and Iran only desiring (at this point) particular outcomes. The fact still remains is that the Trump Administration never intended to deal with Russian election interference in any meaningful way as long as it benefits him, which it does.
Panel: Carol Lee, NBC; Kasie Hunt, NBC; Jeh Johnson, fmr. Homeland Security Secretary
Couple more things...
Once again, Joe Biden is part of an historic ticket, but not only is choosing Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) historic, she highly qualified having served at every level of government; you have to admit a gifted politician; and she is essentially a center-left candidate which melds very well with the Biden governing philosophy.
Lastly, (and liberals who read this, please unwedge your underwear) condolences to President Trump and his family, as the president's brother, Robert Trump, died this week at 71.
No comments:
Post a Comment