Trump has convinced himself that the only way he can win is by suppressing the vote, by any means possible.
He has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting as fraudulent, although both he and his wife filed to vote by mail in Florida and he hailed that state’s mail-in plans.
He appointed Louis DeJoy, a major Republican donor, as Postmaster General of the United States. DeJoy has begun systematically undermining the United States Postal Service. He reassigned the top leadership of the agency. The USPS has dismantled the machinery that sorts high-volume mail. Postal drop boxes are being removed. Post offices with low volume are closing.
Kimberly Karol, president of the Iowa Postal Workers Union, spoke to NPR and described what is happening.
Last night, Karol was interviewed by Rachel Maddow.
Maddow explained how Montanans blocked the USPS efforts to remove half the mailboxes across the state. Her conclusion: Pressure works. “They are stealing the mailboxes.”
The removal of mailboxes is not limited to Montana. It’s happening across the nation.
Before DeJoy’s appointment, the USPS warned 46 states that it lacked the capacity to guarantee that all mailed ballots would be counted:
Anticipating an avalanche of absentee ballots, the U.S. Postal Service recently sent detailed letters to 46 states and D.C. warning that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted — adding another layer of uncertainty ahead of the high-stakes presidential contest.
The letters sketch a grim possibility for the tens of millions of Americans eligible for a mail-in ballot this fall: Even if people follow all of their state’s election rules, the pace of Postal Service delivery may disqualify their votes.
The Postal Service’s warnings of potential disenfranchisement came as the agency undergoes a sweeping organizational and policy overhaul amid dire financial conditions. Cost-cutting moves have already delayed mail delivery by as much as a week in some places, and a new decision to decommission 10 percent of the Postal Service’s sorting machines sparked widespread concern the slowdowns will only worsen. Rank-and-file postal workers say the move is ill-timed and could sharply diminish the speedy processing of flat mail, including letters and ballots.
The ballot warnings, issued at the end of July from Thomas J. Marshall, general counsel and executive vice president of the Postal Service, and obtained through a records request by The Washington Post, were planned before the appointment of Louis DeJoy, a former logistics executive and ally of President Trump, as postmaster general in early summer. They go beyond the traditional coordination between the Postal Service and election officials, drafted as fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic triggered an unprecedented and sudden shift to mail-in voting.
Democrats sought additional funding for the Postal Service, but Trump blocked it.
The United States Postal Service is established in the Constitution, but since Trump has never read that document, he doesn’t care. He named a Postmaster General and replaced most of its governing board with lackeys who are loyal to him, not the Constitution.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, known as the Postal Clause or the Postal Power, empowers Congress “To establish Post Offices and Post Roads.The Post Office has the constitutional authority to designate mail routes. The Post Office is also empowered to construct or designate post offices with the implied authority to carry, deliver, and regulate the mail of the United States as a whole. The Postal Power also includes the power to designate certain materials as non-mailable, and to pass statutes criminalizing abuses of the postal system (such as mail fraud and armed robbery of post offices”
Trump corrupts the rule of law and the Constitution with equal diffidence. He believes that as president, he can do whatever he wants. Having survived impeachment, he is above the law.
Geeze, what’s next, kneecapping of postal carriers. Then the GOP can turn around and screech that the USPS is a failure, ineffective and inefficient, just look at all those limping postal carriers.
Trump is a desperate criminal who knows that the moment he leaves office, he will be subject to an avalanche of criminal prosecutions and civil suits. He will do anything to keep this from happening. The very name of this traitor is an obscenity.
Rape, sexual assault, witness intimidation, money laundering, bank fraud, insurance fraud, malappropriation of charitable funds, treason, kidnapping of children on an industrial scale (a crime against humanity)–it’s a long, long, long, long list. I hope to see both Trump and Miller arraigned by a special tribunal under the auspices of the International Criminal Court.
It’s time Don the Con took a lesson from the other Teflon Don: It works until it doesn’t.
New Jersey representative, Bill Pascrell, has called for a grand jury investigation into Trump’s obstruction of the election through impeding the operation of the post office. Even though the USPS is one of the largest employers of veterans, the USPS union has endorsed Biden and Harris.https://thehill.com/homenews/house/512135-house-democrat-files-criminal-referral-accusing-trump-of-subverting-election
FYI-You can also sign a petition to remove DeJoy from his office.https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/board-of-governors-of-the-united-states-postal-service-remove-louis-dejoy?bucket=&source=facebook-share-button&time=1597507064&utm_campaign=&utm_source=facebook&share=12c1f62d-2ce6-4084-88d4-ba18134656a6
Yay Bill! Proud of you, NJ guy.
BTW glad you posted The Hill version. Oncea month or so I like to read their comment thread, it’s hilarious. They can never get more than 25 comments into a dicussion before they are making “your momma” insults & telling each other to drop dead :-D.
This is what happens when people elect a career criminal as president.
There is a work around and people need to know about it. Request your ballot early so that it gets to you by USPS. Instead of mailing the ballot back, one has alternatives
1. Go to the election office and drop off the ballot
2. Drop off the ballot on election day at your usual polling place
3. Go to one of the drop boxes located within your state and drop off the ballot
4. Many states have early voting and the lines usually aren’t as long…so vote in person
I know this makes for more work for some, but at least you know that your vote will make it in on time and you don’t have to stand in line with hundreds of other voters on election day. Yes, it is deplorable what’s being done, but we knew this would happen months ago. We must always prepare for the worst case scenario.
Correct. This should be all over the news– daily.
Because of Covid, many State Election Boards won’t allow people into the building. I live in MD and they will email a PDF of the ballot if requested, and then we can deliver how we like. I believe that we only need our driver’s license # to do this. There are so many work arounds for a lot of people. It’s the people who are struggling to make it day by day that will have a problem with the work arounds….and that is the biggest shame. I will drag my weary, beaten body over broken glass if need be to place my vote.
LisaM: I ordered my mail-in ballot using my computer. I received a ballot for the primary and sent it to the proper address.
What happens to people who don’t have a computer? How do they get absentee ballots?
This seems to be the same unfairness that hits public schools. You can get what is needed only if you have a computer and have some idea of how to use it.
Nice propaganda, and only that. The truth is that we do not need to mail our votes in. Everybody can vote in person. Using the so-called pandemic as an excuse to deny people their right to vote in person is an attempt by Democrats to steal the vote. If we can shop in person just by wearing a mask, something I do only to keep from having to hear garbage from the weak and needy, we can vote in person. The post office is irrelevant.
Five states have had all mail-in ballots for years. No complaints. No fraud. Your MAGA man is going down. He will have to be dragged out of the White House. Once he is out, he will stand trial for his life of crime.
Unfortunately it’s very much an open question as to whether Trump is “going down.” In the event that he does lose the election, he will likely not stand trial for anything, as that will be what is bargained away to get him to leave office with a minimum of drama. Beyond that, Democrats have a long history of “unifying” rhetoric once elected, always naive in the hope that the Republicans are going to become collegial and reasonable.
I think it’s imperative right now for those of us on the left to be clearheaded and honest first and foremost with ourselves. There is a STRONG chance that Trump wins in November, likely somewhat better than 50/50. His toying with the USPS may totally work. The Democrats routinely find creative ways to screw up and lose, and then mix that with a weak candidate and weak running mate (I know they all look amazing compared to Trump but Biden/Harris is underwhelming when the conversation gets detailed and serious.) The Russian side of the coin will likely be effective, and, let’s not forget that he may win it fair and square (-ish of course.) I have seen nothing that truly suggests that any of his support base has fled. Obviously I HOPE not and am working strongly to make that not come to pass, but squeezing our eyes shut and repeating our hopes as if that will make them come true is not a place we should be in right now. We need to realize that there is at best a clean 50/50 chance that he wins. That’s where we are right now, and we all know what the is at stake. We cannot be shocked if that comes to pass.
News alert: filling out one’s ballot and mailing it in before the deadline is voting in person. And please let the 169,313 Americans who have died as of the time I’m writing this and their families, friends, and loved ones know that the pandemic is “so-called.” What an idiot you must be.
Of course, we know that right wingers and Trumpers hate the poor, weak and disabled. The MAGA mob lack empathy for those who are sick with the corona virus. The USPS is irrelevant? What a stupid comment, I guess you are not aware of the millions of pieces of mail and packages handled by the USPS every day and that UPS and FedEx use the USPS for the delivery of many of their items. It’s like saying the FBI or NSA are irrelevant. The level of right wing nuttiness is really going down the tubes into total abject inanity.
If the post office goes down, the people will pay considerable more for worse service. Rural delivery will be a thing of the past as only the market will dictate who gets service. We must protect this valuable public service.
A friend of mine told me about something he saw on one of the news shows when a commentator, using the Titantic metaphor, said we were debating about what the orchestra would play rather than deal with the sinking of the ship. It strikes me that the discussion about the postal service is analogous. The ship is taking on water, going down quickly, and more fundamental issues than an agency, however important it might have been or is, is secondary. It’s not that the secondary issue is less important in the great, grand scheme of things. But if the ship goes down, it will be an irrelevant debate. American fascism is no longer a theoretical debating point. It is here. Now the question is: will it be deterred (because it will still be a force to reckon with even if Biden wins) or can we start tamping down the earth on the grave of the American polity? This nation is on life support, whether we want to admit it or not. It can still go either way, and I’m not confident about a positive direction.
GregB: “This nation is on life support, whether we want to admit it or not. It can still go either way, and I’m not confident about a positive direction.”
This nation is in big trouble. I sent a Trump supporter a VIDEO of Trump saying 24 times that the virus would go away. She emailed me back and said she doesn’t listen to the Washington Post.
Even a video of Trump being stupid doesn’t get through. Facts don’t matter.
GregB:
Let’s stick to the topic & not get sidetracked by watery metaphors.
Yes, funding USPS is important now, not just some secondary battle in a war already lost. Before you announce the death of democracy, keep in mind that (a)Trump cannot singlehandedly defund the postal system, and (b)he even noted he would not veto a coronavirus aid bill just because it included extra funds for USPS.
He may want a fascist state, but so far he hasn’t figured out how to do it within the confines of our democratic system. Short of a coup. Bulletin: coup has not happened (yet).
Watery metaphors: (a) pay attention to the news, DeJoy is assaulting the postal service under the direction of the Idiot; “cannot defund” and de facto are two different things (b) are you f—ing kidding me? First of all, there is no coronavirus aid bill, there is no process in place, the Senate is in recess until Sept. 8, so why are you speculating about the mechanics of a speculative veto? We will go at least until the next month without one. And you think McConnell will allow a clean bill on USPS? Less than two months before the election? Do you have any understanding about process, reality, or track records? With less than two months (when Congress reconvenes) before the election. Please send me whatever drugs you are taking, I need them.
GregB very good point about no aid package but sky is not falling on my head yet. Don’t you think they’ll have to get some $$ into people’s hands or risk losing election bigtime? Maybe that’s the drugs talking. Hey grow your own 😀 kidding.
Mr. Hume. There is no attempt anywhere to deny people the right to vote in person. Where on earth did you get this idea?
Mr.? Mister? MISTER?
What HAS happened is that Republican-controlled legislatures in places like Indiana and Georgia have closed many polling places in black and brown communities, thus ensuring that there will be long, long lines to vote. In Marion County in Indiana, for example, people had to stand in line for seven to eight hours to vote in the last election. Why? It’s a deeply red state, and Marion Country is predominately black.
cx: Republican-controlled legislatures or election officials appointed by Republican governors
“Using the so-called pandemic as an excuse to deny people their right to vote in person is an attempt by Democrats to steal the vote.”
The “so-called” pandemic? Do you follow international news– is it all manufactured by some global conspiracy? Tinfoil-hat alert. I shouldn’t even respond, because you don’t believe in the novel coronavirus which has already killed 767k humans in the last 7 months– 171k of whom were US citizens, in just 5 months.
AND you’re characterizing difficulties w/ voting in person as caused by Democrats (not the pandemic). Do you imagine that all those elderly volunteers you’re used to signing you in at the polls– who’ve w/drawn from participating due to being hi-risk for covid– are Democrats?
We don’t even need to go into the increased number of hrs waiting in line to vote due to 6-ft distancing & sanitizing the machinery between votes– which counts out working folks & feebler elderly– not to mention all those who will fear to assemble due to the prevalence of non- believers such as yourself, who won’t be wearing masks.
As far as “their right to vote in person” goes, I also have a RIGHT to vote by mail per my state laws & intend to do so. My reason may be covid risk or anything else– not your biz. That our president should DARE to try to undermine my state right to have my mail-in vote counted by cutting funds to USPS, jeopardizing their ability to deliver it, is UNCONSTITUTIONAL on more than one score. Not to mention a gross overreach of the fed into state/ local/ individual rights.
There was a time when being a conservative meant honoring individual rights, and favoring grass-roots local govt over the long arm of the fed. The modern Republican Party runs roughshot over individual/ states’ rights whenever it suits their fancy– in the case of mail-in votes, over some suspicion that may disfavor their preferred candidate. You sir are no conservative.
I don’t understand…Someone has to go to jail for this. There has to be some return to the Rule of Law. NOW!
I just heard that the Postmaster General, Trump’s lackey, has been called testify before Congress in ONE MONTH.
That’s a long delay. He continues to slow down mail delivery, remove high-volume processing equipment ent, and eliminate drop boxes.
I WILL VOTE IN PERSON.
I will crawl over broken glass if ne essay to vote for Biden and Harris.
So will I.
Me, too
Here’s hoping that someone learns “de joy” of life behind bars for intentionally tampering with the nation’s election system.
Thanks to the enlightened Gov Murphy [NJ], this registered voter will be receiving a mail-in ballot in mid-Oct or so, & will be delivering it to a handy ballot-box. Contact-free.
As much as we are focused on the Idiot, the real criminals are his Republican enablers in Congress starting with McConnell, and the people who vote for them. Anyone who will vote for Biden and then vote to elect any Republican is criminal adjacent.
And anyone who thinks the Idiot is a danger to the world and will not vote for Biden is just plain delusional and not worth a warm bucket of spit. The choices have never been clearer than they are right now.
Congress’ ability to keep post offices running is being unconstitutionally hindered by the executive branch, but let’s face it, if Donald Trump reads the Constitution, it sounds like this: We the pay-apple of the Un-it-ed States, in Order to form a more perfect Onion, establish Just-eyes, in-soor — insoorey — insure — domestic Tran-mumble-mumble, provide for the common defense, promote the general Wheel-far, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Poster-tree do ordain and establish this Constitution, this beautiful Constitution, for the Un-it-ed Stats of America, this beautiful country, and Make it Great Again.
Imagine this scenario: the criminal moron is reelected and the Senate is flipped. That would make for an interesting scenario.
It would be a fashion battle for the ages. Blue wave clashes with orange menace. A Democratic Senate and House would probably be able to convict the orange criminal in an impeachment trial or block a red judicial appointment. We’ve had orange and red together for too long. It’s time for blue and blue. Even light blue will do.
I’m wondering if the orange skin and an orange jumpsuit would be too matchy matchy?
Orange on orange would draw more attention to the orange on white spray tan lines around his eyes, too. He could try some pearls, but you can’t just accessorize your way out of a matchy matchy sitch. But what would really matter is the prison shower water pressure. Perfect hair is a must! And you can’t have perfect hair without a fire hose. Too bad he can’t call his friend Jeffrey Epstein and ask for some prison fashion tips.
LOL!!!
My school district mailed out ballots this year(it was the only way to vote). Some people never got a ballot and were refused ballots because “they’d already been sent one.” I don’t have a lot of confidence in the post office’s ability to deliver mail. I live in a rural area and I get someone else’s mail mixed in with mine at least once a week. Today I got someone’s else’s electric bill. I”ll wear a mask and gloves and vote in person if I’m allowed to.
By now every voter should know how they can vote and if there are options, which way they will choose first. Then check again to be certain no one has changed the rules, and be aware that not all of the information on the Internet is reliable. Some has been deliberately made false to mislead voters. Your state and local election boards or the League of Women Voters are usually reliable, but don’t count on THAT if Republicans are in change. They are hell-bent on sabotaging the elections and making sure the USA is no longer a democratic republic.
Does 45 even realize that his own ‘absentee’ (mail in) ballot will be delayed because of his kneecapping of the post office?
Ha! That would be GREAT if the orange menace didn’t even vote for himself!
This destruction of the USPS is the most high profile of Trump’s attempt to “win by any means possible” but it is not the only one. Republican operatives are working hard on an “October Surprise” planned to resurrect spurious claims about coverups and conspiracies by Democrats–those lefties, commies, and child molesters. They are also working on a Jill Stein move but with Kenye West being registered as a candidate for President of his Birthday Party, and counted on to draw votes from the Biden/Harris ticket. Trump is continuing to spin out executive orders that will delay reports of the vote count, and spin a web of doubt about the role of foreign agents in rigging the election routes. Bill Barr, our Attorney General in name only, is right in the middle of Trump’s efforts to stay in office, along with Jared Kushner…most checking on Kenye West’s staying power.
A landslide vote for Biden would make all of that moot static. That’swhat we need to aim for.
My first thought when I first read about Trump’s war on the USPS in an effort to steal the election was:
Amazon, FedEx, and UPS step up and volunteer to assist the USPS to pick up and move mail-in ballots from voters to the destinations where the ballots are counted.
What would Trump Tweet about that?
I like it.
Seriously? You want Amazon, FedEx and UPS to take over mail responsibilities? Think about that. That’s like wanting Success Academy, KIPP and BASIS to take over for the “failures” of the public school system. It’s exactly what the privatizers want.
Camel’s nose under tent will have to be allowed under the circumstances. We’ll stand by with a big baseball bat & chase it off after we win.
I wish Trump would disappear. It is his ignorance that has caused so many delays in action that could have saved the deaths and illnesses of many Americans.
………………………………………………
Video: 24 times Trump said the coronavirus would go away
August 5, 2020 | 6:00 PM EDT
Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, President Trump has repeatedly said that the virus will disappear.
https://wapo.st/2PpsWBG
As I understand the constitution, it is the states who are supposed to provide a good faith effort to conduct a fair election under federal guidelines. Secretaries of state in the various states are obligated to do this. I suggest that the states who do not provide a good faith effort to fund and conduct a proper election might sacrifice their electoral votes.
Well, I can dream, can’t I?
So quaint, Roy. You seem to still think the constitution means something in this day and age! 😂 Those days are done and gone. Time to shine your black boots (or order them on Amazon if you don’t have them already) and practice clicking your heels. And dream while you still can.
Bernie has a petition that I signed. It isn’t coming through.
……………………………………………..
For Once in His Life Donald Trump Was Actually Honest
By Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News
15 August 20
Yesterday he made it very clear that he wanted to do everything possible to suppress the vote and make it difficult for people to participate in November’s elections.
He told the American people that he was going to defund and destroy the United States Postal Service so that, during this pandemic, they cannot have the opportunity to vote for president and in other important races. In other words, he is forcing people to make a choice between getting sick and even dying, or casting a ballot. Outrageous.
Trump’s theory, which is likely correct, is that a low voter turnout is what he needs in order to hand him a victory. Let’s be clear. Trump is willing to destroy democracy in order to win this election.
Elections should be about candidates making the best case they can to their constituents and letting the voters decide. What elections should not be about in a democratic society is winning because your opponents are prevented from voting. And that is exactly what Trump is doing right now.
At this unprecedented moment in the modern history of our country — at a time when we will depend on voting by mail like never before — we must not allow Trump to sabotage this election. We must make it easier, not harder, for people to vote.
This is the most consequential election of our lifetimes, and the outcome will determine the very future of our democracy. It is crucial that voting by mail is widely available, and we need a fully funded Postal Service in order for that to happen.
That is why I am asking:
Sign my petition — tell Congress to act immediately to provide financial assistance to the United States Postal Service in order to fund vote-by-mail efforts for the November election.
Donald Trump is moving our country in an authoritarian direction and is attempting to dismantle the foundations of our democracy. Democracy must be saved. Trump must be defeated.
Thank you for adding your name to demand that Congress fund the Postal Service so voters can receive their mail-in ballots and safely participate in November’s elections.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
Do you have a link to the petition?
No. I was hoping a link would be sent to me.
Is it possible to Google or DuckDuckGo to obtain the petition by Bernie?
What a great fellow. Trump can vote by mail in ballot to Florida but the rest of us aren’t supposed to do that.
Gov. Holcomb [R-IN] doesn’t want everyone to be able to vote by mail-in ballot. He believes that if we can go to restaurants and do grocery shopping we can vote in person. I’d like to know how many people are going to restaurants. Not many. We have to do grocery shopping. This is not acceptable.
“Trump admits he is undermining USPS to make it harder to vote by mail,” The Guardian, August 13, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141968?t=8&akid=271413%2E8577052%2EA7IB3R
“Postal Service will stop removing mailboxes,” The Washington Post, August 14, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141969?t=10&akid=271413%2E8577052%2EA7IB3R
“Postal Service warns 46 states their voters could be disenfranchised by delayed mail-in ballots,” The Washington Post, August 14, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141970?t=12&akid=271413%2E8577052%2EA7IB3R
“The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC, August 14, 2020
http://act.moveon.org/go/141971?t=14&akid=271413%2E8577052%2EA7IB3R
@JohnHume – “ Using the so-called pandemic as an excuse to deny people their right to vote in person is an attempt by Democrats to steal the vote…”
“So called pandemic ?” Have you seen “Weekend At Hermie’s” yet?
170,000 people have died of a “so-called pandemic.”
To avoid the avalanche which would overwhelm the postal service, they could just do the mail-in voting in stages: give one week to ages 18-38 to vote, then one week those between 38-58, 58-78, etc.
Mate, that won’t happen. The most secure way to vote is to show up in person.
“Biden is the first Democratic nominee since 1984 not to have an Ivy League education.”
He didn’t buy his college admission and grades.
The often-disastrously wrong, ethically compromised, Neera Tanden, head of CAP, who remains in her job even after Hillary’s campaign failure, said in 2015, “The good thing about Biden’s run is that he makes Hillary look so good.” Clueless neoliberals.
The Hill:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:
As the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, she speaks to millennial voters who’ve been historically reluctant to participate in elections.
And as a social media megastar — boasting more than 8 million Twitter followers — she has the platform to reach them.
AOC has been allotted only 60 seconds to speak at Democratic National Convention. She will be amazing and say more in 60 seconds than others in 30 minutes.
AOC should plan her speech so that it runs over the allotted time.
I don’t trust polls but this shows that Biden isn’t really liked by a large number of Democrats. So why was he the pick for president?
…………………………………………
WaPo:
Post-ABC poll shows Biden and Harris holding double-digit lead over Trump and Pence
As the two major political parties prepare to open their national conventions, the race for the White House tilts toward the Democrats, with former vice president Joe Biden holding a double-digit lead nationally over President Trump amid continuing disapproval of the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The motivations of the Trump and Biden supporters remain starkly different, with the president motivating both groups. Almost 3 in 4 who support Trump say they are casting an affirmative vote for the president, rather than to oppose Biden. Among those backing Biden, nearly 6 in 10 say they are voting to oppose Trump rather than mainly to support the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Bidennswept South Carolina in a race with several candidates. The others started dropping out. That’s why Biden is the candidate.