We’re happy to hear all the President’s arguments against keeping it going—next year.
But now? Are you insane?!
Because even if Trump and a group of conservatives who have been wanting to do this for a long time are completely right about all the ills of the modern postal system in this country, is this really the time to be making that stand?
They’re not right, BTW, but part of the point is sucking people into an argument right now. Instead of just—as any normal person would do—saying this is not the time!
Let’s say Trump’s right about all his list of grievances about the post office. Which he’s had 3 years to work on BTW, including 2 full years where he had Republicans in control in both the House and Senate. Trump’s #1 gripe is that the postal service has just become a plaything for the Amazons of the world, and should stop being so willingly subservient and just raise prices a lot instead of relying on the government. Would Trump be so adamant if Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos didn’t also own the Washington Post? Again, we’re not going to go down that rabbit hole today.
So again, let’s say Trump is right. So what?
People really really really really really need to get stuff delivered right now. Probably more than anytime in the history of this country. One example: when home test kits for Coronavirus become widely available and many people are going to want them or maybe even need them to do certain jobs, they are going to need to be delivered, maybe by the millions. Who’s in the best position to do that? And what about getting seniors their meds from mail order pharmacies, especially when it’s unsafe for them to go to the drug store? And so many other things, like absentee ballots, for instance?
For many Americans these days, the mail is their only physical link to the outside world. As Trump himself admits, the USPS has:
“All these routes that could never be built; you could never build them. They go into areas that you could never do.”
Trump says he’s a cheerleader for this country, but we don’t know if the USPS employees, who are out there every day literally putting their well being on the line to get the mail and packages delivered, necessarily feel that way, with Trump making a point of slamming the post office’s “idiocy” day in and day out.
When this first came up: when Trump was asked if he indeed was the one who demanded funding for the postal service be removed from the first multi-trillion dollar bailout bill or he wouldn’t sign it, he didn’t answer yes or no. Even though that question did set him off on a bile-laced riff about how the postal service has been messed up for years, we held off on writing about it because we couldn’t believe it was true that he actually made it his singular mission to block that funding. Now it’s become crystal clear that it was him, and even something he’s proud of that he did. And look, this President’s got a bug up his wherever about many things. But this? Now?!
And the fact that whether the postal service is good or even essential or not, has become an argument at all, and people are actually spending a lot of time and effort defending or attacking the postal service, means Trump’s already winning in one of his most nakedly dastardly and nonsensical efforts ever.
Because this of all things should not be a fight right now. Even if the postal service is the most evil place on earth, most Americans still rely on getting their mail from them every day. Even if it’s the most evil place on earth, Americans need to continue to get their mail, right now more than ever, at least until this pandemic is over. Period.
Then we’re perfectly willing to listen to the President’s arguments about why it’s bad and why it should be dramatically changed. Not now. Make your damn point some other time, you have many, many far more important things to focus on right now! For Heaven’s sake!