Attacking the U.S. Postal Service before an election is something a terrorist would do
To hobble the U.S. Postal Service under the guise of treating it like a business is to undermine public confidence in yet another vital American institution at exactly the time when confidence is most needed, as much of the nation prepares to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 election. Such an attack would be an obvious strategy of a terrorist group or a foreign adversary. It also appears to be the strategy of the president of the United States.
President Trump has long railed against the Postal Service as a money-losing operation, and its quite true: Public mail delivery isnt a profit-making business. Nor should it be. Its a government service that should no more be expected to produce profits than, say, the Food and Drug Administration.
Trump also reportedly dislikes the Postal Service because it delivers packages for Amazon, which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, which is critical of Trump in its coverage. That may be a stretch, or it may be right on the money; Trump has indeed criticized the Postal Service for charging Amazon rates that he says are too low.
Of more concern, though, is Trumps constant harangue against voting by mail, which he says without evidence is a hotbed of fraud. Many states plan to conduct their balloting by mail, so making sure the Postal Service has a hard time delivering election-related material in a timely fashion or even appearing to do so gives him ammunition to attack the validity of election results that dont go his way.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-08-04/undermining-postal-service-voting-trump
Harker
(13,870 posts)amcgrath
(397 posts)But everybody seems to have missed the obvious.
Trumps numerous attacks on mail in voting are pointless, unless the pandemic can be maintained or worsened.
If people arent afraid to vote in person, then Trumps strategy is completely pointless. Rising infections and deaths are to Trumps advantage.
Forcing kids back to school and starving people back to work - or making them homeless, may seem reckless, but it is vital to Trumps plan