washingtonmonthly--2020-08-15--The House Should Investigate and Subpoena the Postmaster General

By now , it ’ s no secret that Trump and his allies are trying to sabotage the Postal Service .
The question is what Democrats will do in response .
Republicans have had their crosshairs on the USPS for decades now , and for the usual conservative reasons : it ’ s a national service that they would prefer be wholly privatized and parceled off for profit .
But the circumstances around the COVID pandemic the 2020 election make the continued ability of the Postal Service to handle ballots in a timely manner an life-or-death battle for American democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better in elections the more people vote ; the pandemic makes voting in person more dangerous ; universal mail voting increases voter turnout and bypasses a variety of traditional conservative voter suppression strategies ; and Donald Trump has convinced a large number of Republicans to avoid mail voting , such that most of the mail-in vote is likely to come from Democratic voters .
Trump and his Republican allies are currently performing poorly in public polling , further incentivizing them to try to narrow the electorate through suppression of opposing communities .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fund the Postal Service as part of a new COVID relief package , and Trump just admitted to doing so as part of an attempt to hamper mail-in voting .
His top economic adviser Larry Kudlow also went on TV to say that “ So much of the Democratic asks [ on stimulus ] are really liberal-left wish-lists—voting rights , aid to aliens—that ’ s not our game.
” So Trump Republicans aren ’ t even trying to hide the corruption here .
And indeed , reports of sabotage are already coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the removal of mailboxes forcing the USPS to say it would stop doing so , to the scrapping of 671 mail sorting machines suspiciously located mostly in contested swing states .
So what are Democrats doing in response ?
Last week most of the House Democratic caucus sent a letter to Trump ’ s new Postmaster General and big Republican donor Louis DeJoy demanding that he roll back a number of curiously timed operational changes guaranteed to slow down mail service .
More recently and effectively , Senator Elizabeth Warren ( along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others ) spearheaded a successful effort encouraging the Postal Service ’ s inspector general to review both the policy changes and DeJoy ’ s potential conflicts of interest resulting from his ownership of significant amounts of stock in USPS competitors .
New Jersey Democratic Congressmember Bill Pascrell , Jr , made a criminal referral to the New Jersey Attorney General concerning possible violations of state law regarding the USPS and elections .
Yesterday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement opposing Trump ’ s attempted demolition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The problem is that , while Warren and Maloney have accomplished the most on this issue by forcing an internal investigation within the Postal Service , and individual legislators can and should certainly attempt a recourse to accountability for state law violations , House Democratic Leadership are barely using the powers available to them in forcing public attention and transparency here .
The House has the legal right to investigate and issue subpoenas to all those involved , including and especially Postmaster General DeJoy himself .
The Trump administration would almost certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which point House Democrats would be well within their legal right to send Capitol Police to arrest the Postmaster General and force him to testify .
But even stopping short of that potential constitutional crisis , conducting the investigation and issuing the subpoena would shine a bright spotlight–one that would in turn encourage Postal Service employees to tell all they know about what is happening internally .
Even if nothing could be proven directly , it would minimize the potential for mischief through direct application of sunlight .
Given the current polling , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escape electoral accountability for his disastrous presidency if Americans are allowed to vote freely and fairly .
Democratic leaders therefore need to do everything legally within their power to ensure the integrity of the election itself .
All too often , longtime Democratic officials act like the patient custodians of a normative democracy in exile during the Trump Aberration , rather than the only empowered opposition to a totalitarian insurrection engaged in a one-sided cold civil war .
Having set its ground rules for COVID negotiations , the House should be engaged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election day and beyond–not as a political gimmick , but as a way of blockading to the maximum extent possible the various attempts of Trump and his cronies to subvert the electoral comeuppance that awaits them .
Those investigations and subpoenas should start with Postmaster General DeJoy .

By now, it’s no secret that Trump and his allies are trying to sabotage the Postal Service. The question is what Democrats will do in response.
Republicans have had their crosshairs on the USPS for decades now, and for the usual conservative reasons: it’s a national service that they would prefer be wholly privatized and parceled off for profit. But the circumstances around the COVID pandemic and the 2020 election make the continued ability of the Postal Service to handle ballots in a timely manner a life-or-death battle for American democracy itself.
Put bluntly, Democrats do better in elections the more people vote; the pandemic makes voting in person more dangerous; universal mail voting increases voter turnout and bypasses a variety of traditional conservative voter suppression strategies; and Donald Trump has convinced a large number of Republicans to avoid mail voting, such that most of the mail-in vote is likely to come from Democratic voters. Trump and his Republican allies are currently performing poorly in public polling, further incentivizing them to try to narrow the electorate through suppression of opposing communities. Trump and McConnell are refusing to allow money to fund the Postal Service as part of a new COVID relief package, and Trump just admitted to doing so as part of an attempt to hamper mail-in voting. His top economic adviser Larry Kudlow also went on TV to say that “So much of the Democratic asks [on stimulus] are really liberal-left wish-lists—voting rights, aid to aliens—that’s not our game.”
So Trump Republicans aren’t even trying to hide the corruption here. And indeed, reports of sabotage are already coming in fast, from widespread reports of the removal of mailboxes forcing the USPS to say it would stop doing so, to the scrapping of 671 mail sorting machines suspiciously located mostly in contested swing states. So what are Democrats doing in response?
Last week most of the House Democratic caucus sent a letter to Trump’s new Postmaster General and big Republican donor Louis DeJoy demanding that he roll back a number of curiously timed operational changes guaranteed to slow down mail service. More recently and effectively, Senator Elizabeth Warren (along with House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney and others) spearheaded a successful effort encouraging the Postal Service’s inspector general to review both the policy changes and DeJoy’s potential conflicts of interest resulting from his ownership of significant amounts of stock in USPS competitors. New Jersey Democratic Congressmember Bill Pascrell, Jr, made a criminal referral to the New Jersey Attorney General concerning possible violations of state law regarding the USPS and elections. Yesterday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement opposing Trump’s attempted demolition of the USPS, and tweeted the following:
“The Postal Service is a pillar of American Democracy. President Trump’s assault on @USPS threatens to starve it of the funds that it needs to deliver Americans’ absentee ballots. The President’s actions and even his own words confirm: he needs to cheat to win. #DontMessWithUSPS“
The problem is that, while Warren and Maloney have accomplished the most on this issue by forcing an internal investigation within the Postal Service, and individual legislators can and should certainly attempt a recourse to accountability for state law violations, House Democratic Leadership are barely using the powers available to them in forcing public attention and transparency here.
The House has the legal right to investigate and issue subpoenas to all those involved, including and especially Postmaster General DeJoy himself. The Trump administration would almost certainly refuse to honor the subpoena, at which point House Democrats would be well within their legal right to send Capitol Police to arrest the Postmaster General and force him to testify. But even stopping short of that potential constitutional crisis, conducting the investigation and issuing the subpoena would shine a bright spotlight–one that would in turn encourage Postal Service employees to tell all they know about what is happening internally. Even if nothing could be proven directly, it would minimize the potential for mischief through direct application of sunlight.
Given the current polling, it is unlikely that Donald Trump will escape electoral accountability for his disastrous presidency if Americans are allowed to vote freely and fairly. Democratic leaders therefore need to do everything legally within their power to ensure the integrity of the election itself. All too often, longtime Democratic officials act like the patient custodians of a normative democracy in exile during the Trump Aberration, rather than the only empowered opposition to a totalitarian insurrection engaged in a one-sided cold civil war.
Having set its ground rules for COVID negotiations, the House should be engaged in nonstop investigations and subpoenas from now through election day and beyond–not as a political gimmick, but as a way of blockading to the maximum extent possible the various attempts of Trump and his cronies to subvert the electoral comeuppance that awaits them. Those investigations and subpoenas should start with Postmaster General DeJoy.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-15--Why the GOP Can’t Control QAnon: The Party Was Already Becoming a Conspiracy Cult

At long last , mainstream reporters are starting to take the QAnon conspiracy cult seriously .
With at least one QAnon devotee about to be elected to Congress , millions of online followers and several big stories in major publications , the cult has come into its own .
Pushback against it has come too little , too late .
Facebook , Twitter and TikTok only recently started deactivating major QAnon promoters and groups , even as those accounts engage in coordinated ban evasion and continue to peddle lies on other platforms .
I ( as others have ) use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intentionally .
QAnon is not a political movement centered around an ideology or policy platform : it is a freewheeling grab bag of mostly far-right but also non-partisan conspiracy theories from flat-earthers to believers in lizard people to those who believe that JFK Jr is still alive and coordinating the arrests of a massive global pedophile and Satanic child sacrifice ring .
Its adherents demand not allegiance to a specific orthodoxy , but only blind faith in the leader : an anonymous online figure nicknamed “ Q ” who began posting on 4chan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Administration , claiming to be a member of the administration with top “ Q ” level security clearance ( no such clearance actually exists . )
Members spend countless hours analyzing specific “ drops ” from Q , using numerology and other hokey deep reading techniques to parse misspelling in Trump tweets for hidden messages and patterns , fitting them into bizarre and hopelessly complicated “ calendars ” and “ clocks.
” The key catchphrases of the movement are typical of cultic in-groups with political overtones .
“ Trust the Plan.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We Go One We Go All.
” It provides a built-in community of fellow believers , and a chiliastic all-encompassing spiritual battle against both human and supernatural enemies .
As with an adventist cult , Q followers are supposed to be essential team members laying the groundwork for the exposure of the “ truth ” : a giant global ring of child-eating Satanist pedophiles restricting access to free energy , debt jubilees and world peace .
Central to all of this is the figure of Donald Trump , who will supposedly one day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass arrest and summary execution of all the cult ’ s enemies , ranging from standard right-wing targets like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to celebrities like Tom Hanks and Chrissy Teigen .
( The fact that President Trump , leader of the Executive Branch of the United States , has supposedly allowed this ring to exist unhampered for nearly four years while an anonymous 8chan user spreads the gospel is dismissed as a minor inconvenience . )
All of it is overlaid on existing white supremacist and anti-semitic themes , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globalist ” cabal using minorities to overwhelm majority-white Christian nations .
QAnon followers are also suffering the same sorts of social isolation and estrangement from family and friends that is typical of new cult members .
QAnon leaders , for their part , offer a substitute family for them in replacement .
As QAnon influencer Martin Geddes once tweeted before his account was suspended : This is not a political movement .
It is a novel form of online religion enabled by social media algorithms .
And it is deeply dangerous , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all sorts of misinformation but also because of its natural tendency toward political violence .
After all , if you believed that such things were true and such people existed , what would you do to stop them ?
One would think that the Republican Party would see the danger of this phenomenon and try to nip it in the bud , as surely as any political entity would try to quell a cult growing like a cancer within it .
But it hasn ’ t .
House GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to stop QAnon within Republican circles and hewing too close to Trump , but he is unlikely to be seriously threatened for leadership .
Trump himself refuses to try to squelch the conspiracy group , seeing any supporter as a good supporter .
The problem is that Republican Party has been relying on only slightly milder forms of conspiratorial politics for years now .
It ’ s staggering to ponder the implications of modern Republican ideology all at once , but consider a few examples .
To be a modern Republican you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists are engaged in a worldwide conspiracy to falsify data for grant money , while oil executives are victims trying to expose the truth .
You have to believe that hundreds of thousands or even millions of people are engaged in coordinated voter impersonation fraud , abetted by hundreds of local elections officials in both blue and red areas , and no one has ever leaked it or been caught .
You have to believe in a massively coordinated effort to take away guns not to protect children from being shot in schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white people defenseless in a race war or implement a Stalinist state tyranny .
You have to believe that social services are a racket to keep racial minorities voting for Democrats , rather than an attempt to mitigate the inequities of brutal capital markets in a society riddled with horrific structural racism .
And so on .
These ( among others ) are truly bizarre beliefs , but they are preached from the Fox News pulpit 24-hours-a-day on America ’ s most-watched cable news network .
They have become part of our daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop to remark anymore on just how outlandish and nonsensical they are when given a moment ’ s thought .
It ’ s a deeply conspiratorial worldview that depends on its adherents remaining ensconced in a bubble of alternative misinformation .
So it ’ s not a huge logical leap from these conspiracy theories into even more fantastical QAnon territory .
It ’ s not a big step , for instance , from ridiculously claiming that climate scientists are all lying for grant money–which lacks real credibility as a motive–to speculating that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nefarious ends .
In some ways the Republican tropes actually gain more credibility the more villainous the opponents ’ motives are claimed to be .
If you ’ re going to claim that Democrats want to offer universal childcare as an evil scheme to gain power to do vague unspecified things , why not go all the way to claiming that they want to keep patriots subdued so they can harvest babies for adrenochrome ?
If you ’ re going to vilify your enemies with absurd claims and keep your followers in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a partially enraptured cable news/AM radio audience ?
Why not go all the way ?
This is why the GOP can ’ t control QAnon .
Once the Republican Party handed over control of its messaging to cable news and radio hosts , and once it began to depend on an alternative universe of conspiracy theories promulgated on social media to prop itself up , it was only a matter of time before these things started to take on a life of their own .
Now we are all paying the price @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American politics with even more extremism , misinformation and violence .
But it was the “ mainstream ” Republican Party and its allies that laid all the groundwork for it .

At long last, mainstream reporters are starting to take the QAnon conspiracy cult seriously. With at least one QAnon devotee about to be elected to Congress, millions of online followers and several big stories in major publications, the cult has come into its own. Pushback against it has come too little, too late. Facebook, Twitter and TikTok only recently started deactivating major QAnon promoters and groups, even as those accounts engage in coordinated ban evasion and continue to peddle lies on other platforms.
I (as others have) use the word “cult” here very intentionally. QAnon is not a political movement centered around an ideology or policy platform: it is a freewheeling grab bag of mostly far-right but also non-partisan conspiracy theories from flat-earthers to believers in lizard people to those who believe that JFK Jr is still alive and coordinating the arrests of a massive global pedophile and Satanic child sacrifice ring. Its adherents demand not allegiance to a specific orthodoxy, but only blind faith in the leader: an anonymous online figure nicknamed “Q” who began posting on 4chan during the early days of the Trump Administration, claiming to be a member of the administration with top “Q” level security clearance. Members spend countless hours analyzing specific “drops” from Q, using numerology and other hokey deep reading techniques to parse misspelling in Trump tweets for hidden messages and patterns, fitting them into bizarre and hopelessly complicated “calendars” and “clocks.”
The key catchphrases of the movement are typical of cultic in-groups with political overtones. “Trust the Plan.” “Patriots Are in Control.” “Where We Go One We Go All.” It provides a built-in community of fellow believers, and a chiliastic all-encompassing spiritual battle against both human and supernatural enemies. As with an adventist cult, Q followers are supposed to be essential team members laying the groundwork for the exposure of the “truth”: a giant global ring of child-eating Satanist pedophiles restricting access to free energy, debt jubilees and world peace. Central to all of this is the figure of Donald Trump, who will supposedly one day bring “the pain”: the mass arrest and summary execution of all the cult’s enemies, ranging from standard right-wing targets like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to celebrities like Tom Hanks and Chrissy Teigen. (The fact that President Trump, leader of the Executive Branch of the United States, has supposedly allowed this ring to exist unhampered for nearly four years while an anonymous 8chan user spreads the gospel is dismissed as a minor inconvenience.) All of it is overlaid on existing white supremacist and anti-semitic themes, as the enemy is supposed to be a “globalist” cabal using minorities to overwhelm majority-white Christian nations.
QAnon followers are also suffering the same sorts of social isolation and estrangement from family and friends that is typical of new cult members. QAnon leaders, for their part, offer a substitute family for them in replacement. As QAnon influencer Martin Geddes once tweeted before his account was suspended:
“Part of the struggle of being “awake(ish)” is that many of your normal sources of support become flimsy or even can attack. Your preacher, teacher, therapist, mother, lover etc can be under the spell of false narratives or devious doctrines. Requires building a whole new network.”
This is not a political movement. It is a novel form of online religion enabled by social media algorithms. And it is deeply dangerous, not just because of its capacity for catapulting all sorts of misinformation but also because of its natural tendency toward political violence. After all, if you believed that such things were true and such people existed, what would you do to stop them?
One would think that the Republican Party would see the danger of this phenomenon and try to nip it in the bud, as surely as any political entity would try to quell a cult growing like a cancer within it. But it hasn’t. House GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has come under fire for not doing enough to stop QAnon within Republican circles and hewing too close to Trump, but he is unlikely to be seriously threatened for leadership. Trump himself refuses to try to squelch the conspiracy group, seeing any supporter as a good supporter.
The problem is that Republican Party has been relying on only slightly milder forms of conspiratorial politics for years now. It’s staggering to ponder the implications of modern Republican ideology all at once, but consider a few examples. To be a modern Republican you have to believe that thousands of climate scientists are engaged in a worldwide conspiracy to falsify data for grant money, while oil executives are victims trying to expose the truth. You have to believe that hundreds of thousands or even millions of people are engaged in coordinated voter impersonation fraud, abetted by hundreds of local elections officials in both blue and red areas, and no one has ever leaked it or been caught. You have to believe in a massively coordinated effort to take away guns not to protect children from being shot in schools and movie theaters, but to leave white people defenseless in a race war or implement a Stalinist state tyranny. You have to believe that social services are a racket to keep racial minorities voting for Democrats, rather than an attempt to mitigate the inequities of brutal capital markets in a society riddled with horrific structural racism. And so on.
These (among others) are truly bizarre beliefs, but they are preached from the Fox News pulpit 24-hours-a-day on America’s most-watched cable news network. They have become part of our daily political existence, such that we barely stop to remark anymore on just how outlandish and nonsensical they are when given a moment’s thought. It’s a deeply conspiratorial worldview that depends on its adherents remaining ensconced in a bubble of alternative misinformation.
So it’s not a huge logical leap from these conspiracy theories into even more fantastical QAnon territory. It’s not a big step, for instance, from ridiculously claiming that climate scientists are all lying for grant money–which lacks real credibility as a motive–to speculating that they’re lying for deeper, more nefarious ends. In some ways the Republican tropes actually gain more credibility the more villainous the opponents’ motives are claimed to be. If you’re going to claim that Democrats want to offer universal childcare as an evil scheme to gain power to do vague unspecified things, why not go all the way to claiming that they want to keep patriots subdued so they can harvest babies for adrenochrome? If you’re going to vilify your enemies with absurd claims and keep your followers in a tightly controlled information bubble, why stop at a partially enraptured cable news/AM radio audience? Why not go all the way?
This is why the GOP can’t control QAnon. Once the Republican Party handed over control of its messaging to cable news and radio hosts, and once it began to depend on an alternative universe of conspiracy theories promulgated on social media to prop itself up, it was only a matter of time before these things started to take on a life of their own.
Now we are all paying the price as this toxic cult threatens to infuse American politics with even more extremism, misinformation and violence. But it was the “mainstream” Republican Party and its allies that laid all the groundwork for it.
Note: the original version of this article stated that “Q” level security clearance does not exist. It is actually a Department of Energy clearance level.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-16--Saving Democracy Is Up To All of Us

Saving Democracy Is Up To All of Us

It is no secret that American democracy is teetering on the edge of destruction .
A white nationalist authoritarian movement currently headed by Donald Trump wants to destroy majoritarian popular consent before a minority of racist whites , prudish evangelicals and overcompensating , insecure men lose their grip on both the culture and the government .
Meanwhile , hyperpartisan division is making the notoriously clunky , procedurally challenging and risk-averse American system of government impossible to navigate for anyone trying to change the status quo .
But there is a silver lining to our precarious danger : we are also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both political and social , unseen in generations .
When a police officer murdered George Floyd on that fateful day in May , it reignited a public protest movement still coursing through the nation .
Thousands of normally apolitical Americans have joined local clubs , citizen groups and even filed to run for public office .
There is an awareness among many Americans that if the institutions can not save us , we must play a direct part in saving ourselves .
Recording and communications technologies are helping greatly in the effort .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ open racism on video has changed the conversation and awakened the majority of Americans to how often the officially sanitized police record of events differs from the awful reality .
Ordinary citizens now have the power to hold both individual and state-sanctioned oppressors accountable in public spaces .
This phenomenon applies to Donald Trump and the federal government as much as to local police officers and bigots .
Consider for a moment the recent hullabaloo over Trump ’ s attempts to sabotage the Postal Service .
While Democratic leadership in Congress can and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the issue , there is realistically only so much they can do .
The Administration can ignore every subpoena as long as Senate Republicans allow them to get away with it , and precipitating a Constitutional crisis by sending the Capitol police to arrest the Postmaster General could easily add to the destabilizing chaos in which Trump thrives .
The greatest power to stop Trump comes from all of us as direct activists and citizen journalists .
Much of what the rightwing authoritarian movement wants to inflict on the country , depends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us .
For instance , it was normal people taking pictures of postal boxes being removed from city streets that caused the USPS to backtrack and halt the practice until after election day .
And postal workers themselves can put up fierce resistance to any attempts to sabotage ballot delivery .
On top of the National Letter Carriers Association directly endorsing Trump ’ s opponent Joe Biden , there are already reports that postal workers plan to deliver ballots on time come rain , sleet , snow–or Trump and DeJoy : Whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may not be , true letter carriers were disturbed by the sight of mail going undelivered .
“ It ’ s frustrating for us , ” Julion said .
“ Because we know this is not what we do.
” In an organization of people sworn to get the mail delivered no matter what , DeJoy became known as “ Delay.
” … What will likely have a bigger impact on the election is the avowed determination of the 300,000 letter carriers themselves to deliver the ballots this year no matter what DeJoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even more so than priority mail , ” Julion said .
“ I ’ m confident , you get those ballots in our hands , we ’ re going to deliver them .
If nothing else gets delivered , those ballots will.
” He added , “ There ’ s a message we want to deliver , too.
” The message is that nobody is going to steal this election if they can help it , that falsehoods and sabotage are not going to stop letter carriers from doing their sworn duty and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote even in a pandemic .
“ This is what we do , ” Julion repeated , adding , “ We can handle it.
” This is what will be required until at least January 20 , 2021 : an army of regular citizens stepping up to document wrongdoing and use whatever power they have in their work and social life to halt the destruction of democracy and move forward the cause of justice .
If Trump and the Republican National Committee send a combination of private and DHS goons to intimidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be up to citizens to take video and use social media to organize communities to force them to back down .
If they try to send squads to prevent the counting of mail-in ballots in a second Brooks Brothers Riot , it will be up to all of us to protect the vote counters by documenting it and standing in their way with overwhelming numbers .
It will be crucial for young and healthy Americans not directly assisting anti-totalitarian campaigns to volunteer as poll workers to ensure that in-person voting will not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on .
The next few months will be a crucible not only for American democracy , but the health and safety of the international community and planet .
Democratic leaders can do more , but there ’ s still only so much that they can do until Trump is gone because of the flaws inherent in the system .
But if we all do our parts and put all hands of deck , we can get through this together .

It is no secret that American democracy is teetering on the edge of destruction. A white nationalist authoritarian movement currently headed by Donald Trump wants to destroy majoritarian popular consent before a minority of racist whites, prudish evangelicals and overcompensating, insecure men lose their grip on both the culture and the government. Meanwhile, hyperpartisan division is making the notoriously clunky, procedurally challenging and risk-averse American system of government impossible to navigate for anyone trying to change the status quo.
But there is a silver lining to our precarious danger: we are also witnessing an increase in citizen activism, both political and social, unseen in generations. When a police officer murdered George Floyd on that fateful day in May, it reignited a public protest movement still coursing through the nation. Thousands of normally apolitical Americans have joined local clubs, citizen groups and even filed to run for public office.
There is an awareness among many Americans that if the institutions cannot save us, we must play a direct part in saving ourselves. Recording and communications technologies are helping greatly in the effort. The ability to capture police brutality and open racism on video has changed the conversation and awakened the majority of Americans to how often the officially sanitized police record of events differs from the awful reality. Ordinary citizens now have the power to hold both individual and state-sanctioned oppressors accountable in public spaces.
This phenomenon applies to Donald Trump and the federal government as much as to local police officers and bigots. Consider for a moment the recent hullabaloo over Trump’s attempts to sabotage the Postal Service. While Democratic leadership in Congress can and should use every tool at their disposal over the issue, there is realistically only so much they can do. The Administration can ignore every subpoena as long as Senate Republicans allow them to get away with it, and precipitating a Constitutional crisis by sending the Capitol police to arrest the Postmaster General could easily add to the destabilizing chaos in which Trump thrives.
The greatest power to stop Trump comes from all of us as direct activists and citizen journalists. Much of what the rightwing authoritarian movement wants to inflict on the country, depends only on quiet acquiescence from the rest of us.
For instance, it was normal people taking pictures of postal boxes being removed from city streets that caused the USPS to backtrack and halt the practice until after election day. And postal workers themselves can put up fierce resistance to any attempts to sabotage ballot delivery. On top of the National Letter Carriers Association directly endorsing Trump’s opponent Joe Biden, there are already reports that postal workers plan to deliver ballots on time come rain, sleet, snow–or Trump and DeJoy:
Whatever DeJoy’s actual motive may or may not be, true letter carriers were disturbed by the sight of mail going undelivered. “It’s frustrating for us,” Julion said. “Because we know this is not what we do.” In an organization of people sworn to get the mail delivered no matter what, DeJoy became known as “Delay.”… What will likely have a bigger impact on the election is the avowed determination of the 300,000 letter carriers themselves to deliver the ballots this year no matter what DeJoy and his boss Trump do. “Even more so than priority mail,” Julion said. “I’m confident, you get those ballots in our hands, we’re going to deliver them. If nothing else gets delivered, those ballots will.” He added, “There’s a message we want to deliver, too.” The message is that nobody is going to steal this election if they can help it, that falsehoods and sabotage are not going to stop letter carriers from doing their sworn duty and thereby enabling people to exercise their right to vote even in a pandemic. “This is what we do,” Julion repeated, adding, “We can handle it.”
This is what will be required until at least January 20, 2021: an army of regular citizens stepping up to document wrongdoing and use whatever power they have in their work and social life to halt the destruction of democracy and move forward the cause of justice. If Trump and the Republican National Committee send a combination of private and DHS goons to intimidate voters in minority communities, it will be up to citizens to take video and use social media to organize communities to force them to back down. If they try to send squads to prevent the counting of mail-in ballots in a second Brooks Brothers Riot, it will be up to all of us to protect the vote counters by documenting it and standing in their way with overwhelming numbers. It will be crucial for young and healthy Americans not directly assisting anti-totalitarian campaigns to volunteer as poll workers to ensure that in-person voting will not be affected despite the pandemic. And so on.
The next few months will be a crucible not only for American democracy, but the health and safety of the international community and planet. Democratic leaders can do more, but there’s still only so much that they can do until Trump is gone because of the flaws inherent in the system. But if we all do our parts and put all hands on deck, we can get through this together.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-16--Trump Has Done the Impossible: Unified the Fractious Democratic Base

Stung by their unexpected electoral college defeat in 2016 , liberals often ascribe almost magical powers to Donald Trump .
Well-meaning pundits warn the left never to underestimate him , and the decent part of America is undergoing a form of national collective trauma preparing for all the ways in which Trump might try to avoid the electoral consequences of his own disastrous presidency .
But Trump never had any magic powers to begin with .
He was running against a historically unpopular Democratic nominee in 2016 , lost the national popular contest by 3 million votes , and barely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ triple bank shot across three states .
His singular innovation was maximizing negative partisanship among the most bigoted elements of America : the nation ’ s most insecure men and most racist whites people .
Trump managed to accelerate the sorting of the electorate in a way that maximized a conservative cultural voting bloc faster than the left-liberal bloc could fully realize what was happening and consolidate against it .
The left-liberal coalition , meanwhile , is strained and for good reason .
On one hand , a new raft of moderate Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joining the Democratic Party , boosting its fortunes in previously unassailable Republican territory and providing a margin of victory–and many older core Democrats are loath to upset them lest the far right permanently destroy democracy .
On the other hand , the corporate looting and structural neglect of the country has left it in paralyzing crisis , one that is hitting the young particularly hard .
Those who bought houses 20 years ago when costs were cheap , have jobs that provide private healthcare , have realized asset appreciation since then and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience the worst effects of climate change , are more at liberty to sit and wait patiently for change than younger struggling families trapped in overpriced apartments , carrying massive debt to which their elders were not subjected , unable to afford health coverage and terrified of the climate catastrophes the next 50 years will bring if we don ’ t act immediately to curb fossil fuels .
The result has been a bruising internal political culture in the Democratic Party , split largely along generational lines between socialist-leaning progressives under 45 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Donald Trump ’ s intentional cruelty toward anyone left of the evangelical white nationalists is erasing those divides as we approach the election .
A movement dedicated only to drinking liberal tears is having the effect uniting liberals , progressives , and socialists in united fury .
Negative partisanship , in other words , works in both directions .
Per the latest CBS News poll : Biden is helped by strong commitment from key parts of the Democratic base , plus gains among groups such as women , especially White women with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into account voting preferences of all kinds of voters throughout each state and nationally , as well as how many of them there are in each state , and produces estimates for all 50 states… Biden now leads Mr. Trump among Black voters 90 % to 6 % .
This is higher than the 72 % of Black voters who backed Hillary Clinton heading into her nominating convention in 2016 .
Biden also holds a sizable lead among Hispanic voters today , helping keep states like Arizona and Texas competitive , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburban voters since July — extending a seven-point lead to 13 points today .
This is not because every Democrat is enthusiastic about Biden specifically .
Far from it .
Even within the moderate Democratic coalition , early primary voters preferred Buttigieg or Klobuchar .
Younger progressives , meanwhile , lined up heavily behind Sanders and Warren , who ran on a much more aggressive message .
But it doesn ’ t matter : while enthusiasm for Biden may be limited in some corners of the Democratic coalition , the real passion is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect that has been reflected across many polls for months now : In fact , Democrats ’ relatively lower enthusiasm is related to the fact that they ’ re backing Biden mainly to oppose Mr. Trump .
Those who are mainly casting votes in opposition are less enthusiastic than those who say they ’ re backing Biden because they like him .
Democrats are however set on their vote choice : 94 % say they ’ re voting for Biden , and around the same percentage say they would never consider voting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a catastrophic presidency , but the flip side of Trump ’ s divisive approach to politics is coming due .
As much as he has conditioned his own voters to see Democrats as the literal enemy and is engaged in a cold civil war against American cities , the left-liberal coalition is now united in its own self-defense .
Not only does Trump not have magic powers , but his own weapons have turned against him .
Unless he can literally cheat to avoid the outcome , he is almost certainly going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time for progressives , socialists and liberals to hash out their own differences .
But for now , there is only one collective goal : ending the nightmare of Trump ’ s presidency .

Stung by their unexpected electoral college defeat in 2016, liberals often ascribe almost magical powers to Donald Trump. Well-meaning pundits warn the left never to underestimate him, and the decent part of America is undergoing a form of national collective trauma preparing for all the ways in which Trump might try to avoid the electoral consequences of his own disastrous presidency.
But Trump never had any magic powers to begin with. He was running against a historically unpopular Democratic nominee in 2016, lost the national popular contest by 3 million votes, and barely squeaked into office by a 70,000 vote triple bank shot across three states. His singular innovation was maximizing negative partisanship among the most bigoted elements of America: the nation’s most insecure men and most racist whites people. Trump managed to accelerate the sorting of the electorate in a way that maximized a conservative cultural voting bloc faster than the left-liberal bloc could fully realize what was happening and consolidate against it.
The left-liberal coalition, meanwhile, is strained and for good reason. On one hand, a new raft of moderate Republicans and centrists turned off by Trump is joining the Democratic Party, boosting its fortunes in previously unassailable Republican territory and providing a margin of victory–and many older core Democrats are loath to upset them lest the far right permanently destroy democracy. On the other hand, the corporate looting and structural neglect of the country has left it in paralyzing crisis, one that is hitting the young particularly hard. Those who bought houses 20 years ago when costs were cheap, have jobs that provide private healthcare, have realized asset appreciation since then and are not likely to live long enough to experience the worst effects of climate change, are more at liberty to sit and wait patiently for change than younger struggling families trapped in overpriced apartments, carrying massive debt to which their elders were not subjected, unable to afford health coverage and terrified of the climate catastrophes the next 50 years will bring if we don’t act immediately to curb fossil fuels. The result has been a bruising internal political culture in the Democratic Party, split largely along generational lines between socialist-leaning progressives under 45, and more moderate liberals over 45.
But Donald Trump’s intentional cruelty toward anyone left of the evangelical white nationalists is erasing those divides as we approach the election. A movement dedicated only to drinking liberal tears is having the effect of uniting liberals, progressives, and socialists in united fury. Negative partisanship, in other words, works in both directions. Per the latest CBS News poll:
Biden is helped by strong commitment from key parts of the Democratic base, plus gains among groups such as women, especially White women with college degrees. Our statistical model takes into account voting preferences of all kinds of voters throughout each state and nationally, as well as how many of them there are in each state, and produces estimates for all 50 states… Biden now leads Mr. Trump among Black voters 90% to 6%. This is higher than the 72% of Black voters who backed Hillary Clinton heading into her nominating convention in 2016. Biden also holds a sizable lead among Hispanic voters today, helping keep states like Arizona and Texas competitive, and he’s nearly doubled his lead among suburban voters since July — extending a seven-point lead to 13 points today.
This is not because every Democrat is enthusiastic about Biden specifically. Far from it. Even within the moderate Democratic coalition, early primary voters preferred Buttigieg or Klobuchar. Younger progressives, meanwhile, lined up heavily behind Sanders and Warren, who ran on a much more aggressive message. But it doesn’t matter: while enthusiasm for Biden may be limited in some corners of the Democratic coalition, the real passion is getting rid of Trump at all costs–an effect that has been reflected across many polls for months now:
In fact, Democrats’ relatively lower enthusiasm is related to the fact that they’re backing Biden mainly to oppose Mr. Trump. Those who are mainly casting votes in opposition are less enthusiastic than those who say they’re backing Biden because they like him. Democrats are however set on their vote choice: 94% say they’re voting for Biden, and around the same percentage say they would never consider voting for Mr. Trump.
It took four years and a catastrophic presidency, but the flip side of Trump’s divisive approach to politics is coming due. As much as he has conditioned his own voters to see Democrats as the literal enemy and is engaged in a cold civil war against American cities, the left-liberal coalition is now united in its own self-defense. Not only does Trump not have magic powers, but his own weapons have turned against him.
Unless he can literally cheat to avoid the outcome, he is almost certainly going to lose. There will be plenty of time for progressives, socialists and liberals to hash out their own differences. But for now, there is only one collective goal: ending the nightmare of Trump’s presidency.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-15--Why the GOP Can’t Control QAnon

Why the GOP Can’t Control QAnon


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-17--With Republican Support, Trump Has Gone Rogue

Donald Trump called in to Fox and Friends on Monday morning to once again spread the conspiracy theory about mail-in voting being fraudulent .
Here ’ s what he said : “ I go by the election , ” Trump said when the hosts of “ Fox and Friends ” asked for his response to concerns that he won ’ t allow a peaceful transition of power in the event of a Biden victory .
Then the President added : “ Now with that being said , I have to tell you that if you go with this universal mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California tens of millions of ballots being sent to everybody and their dogs , okay ?
Dogs are getting them , okay ?
People that have been dead for 25 years are getting them–you have to see what ’ s happening .
Then you ’ re never going to have a fair election.
” “ I ’ ll say this : You ’ re never going to have a fair election , ” he repeated .
Of course , all of the president ’ s claims about California are a lie , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party of North Carolina is sending out applications for mail-in ballots with Trump ’ s picture on them next to a headline that reads : “ Are you going to let Democrats silence you ?
” All of that came after both Trump and his economic advisor Larry Kudlow said the quiet parts out loud when it comes to providing both state election officials and the Post Office enough money to handle the increase in mail-in ballots during a pandemic .
The president made it clear that he would deny funding in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kudlow referred to voting rights as a “ liberal left agenda , ” saying “ that ’ s not our game.
” As if it wasn ’ t already clear , by suggesting that voting rights are a liberal agenda , Republicans have now managed to make themselves the party that is against protecting the right to vote .
The one thing we can be certain of is that all of this points to the fact that Donald Trump knows he ’ s losing , which represents obliteration to him .
So as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the plan seems to be to claim victory on election night when in-person ballots will be tallied and then claim fraud as mail-in ballots are counted .
Since the latter claim will have no actual data to prove fraud , the reality-based community will know that it ’ s a lie while his supporters will claim the election was rigged .
In other words , massive chaos will erupt over the outcome of the election .
That is precisely what Trump is hoping for , not necessarily because he wants to win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cover when he loses .
You might remember that this president still hasn ’ t admitted that he lost the popular vote in 2016—claiming that millions of people voted illegally .
He went through the process of setting up a commission to document that , but it failed miserably and shut down pretty quickly .
But Trump still brings the subject up when his delusions need cover .
It is important to keep in mind that this president ’ s most loyal supporters are only a secondary target for these kinds of claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assuage his own narcissistic ego and protect himself from the kind of annihilation that he assumes comes from losing .
The truth is that , even as Trump started his life in business with millions of dollars he inherited from his father ’ s shady career , he was a constant loser until Russian cash and Mark Burnett came along to help him maintain his delusions .
This president has actually been a loser all of his life and has managed to perfect the art of denying that reality .
It might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But this time , the cost of Trump ’ s delusions will be felt by all of us with the chaos that ensues .
What we have is a president who is willing to destroy our confidence in the electoral process in order to protect his own ego .
That ’ s the kind of thing we ’ ve known this president is capable of doing for a long time now .
The true cost to our democracy comes from a Republican Party that has been willing to aid and abet this criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t failed us .
Impeachment would have been an effective remedy if the president ’ s party hadn ’ t given him a pass on abusing power and obstructing justice .
That is why I always go back to the seminal moment when Representative Adam Schiff laid it all out during the senate impeachment trial : “ [ Trump ] has betrayed our national security .
He has compromised our elections .
And he will do so again .
You will not change him .
You can not constrain him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s right matters even less .
And decency matters not at all.
” Even with that prescient warning , Republican Senators ( with the exception of Mitt Romney ) were willing to give this president a pass .
Now that same president is undermining our voting rights , which are at the heart of our democratic process , with the goal of creating chaos to assuage his own narcissistic ego .
In order to correct what ’ s wrong , we must clearly identify the problem .
One political party in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has gone rogue over and over again in pursuit of his own personal interests .
Trump wouldn ’ t be president right now without a complicit Republican Party .
So let ’ s be perfectly clear about who is responsible for our current situation .

Donald Trump called in to Fox and Friends on Monday morning to once again spread the conspiracy theory about mail-in voting being fraudulent.
Here’s what he said:
“I go by the election,” Trump said when the hosts of “Fox and Friends” asked for his response to concerns that he won’t allow a peaceful transition of power in the event of a Biden victory. Then the President added: “Now with that being said, I have to tell you that if you go with this universal mail-in, where you send millions of votes–in California tens of millions of ballots being sent to everybody and their dogs, okay? Dogs are getting them, okay? People that have been dead for 25 years are getting them–you have to see what’s happening. Then you’re never going to have a fair election.” “I’ll say this: You’re never going to have a fair election,” he repeated.
Of course, all of the president’s claims about California are a lie, which is demonstrated by the fact that the Republican Party of North Carolina is sending out applications for mail-in ballots with Trump’s picture on them next to a headline that reads: “Are you going to let Democrats silence you?”
All of that came after both Trump and his economic advisor Larry Kudlow said the quiet parts out loud when it comes to providing both state election officials and the Post Office enough money to handle the increase in mail-in ballots during a pandemic.
The president made it clear that he would deny funding in order to block mail-in voting, while Kudlow referred to voting rights as a “liberal left agenda,” saying “that’s not our game.” As if it wasn’t already clear, by suggesting that voting rights are a liberal agenda, Republicans have now managed to make themselves the party that is against protecting the right to vote.
The one thing we can be certain of is that all of this points to the fact that Donald Trump knows he’s losing, which represents obliteration to him. So as I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the plan seems to be to claim victory on election night when in-person ballots will be tallied and then claim fraud as mail-in ballots are counted. Since the latter claim will have no actual data to prove fraud, the reality-based community will know that it’s a lie while his supporters will claim the election was rigged. In other words, massive chaos will erupt over the outcome of the election.
That is precisely what Trump is hoping for, not necessarily because he wants to win, but to provide his delusions with cover when he loses. You might remember that this president still hasn’t admitted that he lost the popular vote in 2016—claiming that millions of people voted illegally. He went through the process of setting up a commission to document that, but it failed miserably and shut down pretty quickly. But Trump still brings the subject up when his delusions need cover.
It is important to keep in mind that this president’s most loyal supporters are only a secondary target for these kinds of claims. First and foremost they are designed to assuage his own narcissistic ego and protect himself from the kind of annihilation that he assumes comes from losing. The truth is that, even as Trump started his life in business with millions of dollars he inherited from his father’s shady career, he was a constant loser until Russian cash and Mark Burnett came along to help him maintain his delusions. This president has actually been a loser all of his life and has managed to perfect the art of denying that reality. It might be the one skill he possesses.
But this time, the cost of Trump’s delusions will be felt by all of us with the chaos that ensues. What we have is a president who is willing to destroy our confidence in the electoral process in order to protect his own ego. That’s the kind of thing we’ve known this president is capable of doing for a long time now. The true cost to our democracy comes from a Republican Party that has been willing to aid and abet this criminal president. This country’s institutions haven’t failed us. Impeachment would have been an effective remedy if the president’s party hadn’t given him a pass on abusing power and obstructing justice.
That is why I always go back to the seminal moment when Representative Adam Schiff laid it all out during the senate impeachment trial: “[Trump] has betrayed our national security. He has compromised our elections. And he will do so again. You will not change him. You cannot constrain him. Truth matters little to him. What’s right matters even less. And decency matters not at all.” Even with that prescient warning, Republican Senators (with the exception of Mitt Romney) were willing to give this president a pass.
Now that same president is undermining our voting rights, which are at the heart of our democratic process, with the goal of creating chaos to assuage his own narcissistic ego. In order to correct what’s wrong, we must clearly identify the problem. One political party in this country is providing support for a president who has gone rogue over and over again in pursuit of his own personal interests. Trump wouldn’t be president right now without a complicit Republican Party. So let’s be perfectly clear about who is responsible for our current situation.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-18--Former DHS Staff: Trump Claimed “Magical Authorities” to Break the Law

Of all the Never Trump groups that have organized to defeat the president , the one that has impressed me the most is Republican Voters Against Trump ( RVAT ) .
They ’ ve asked lifelong Republicans to videotape themselves explaining why they refuse to support Trump .
Because I know quite a few conservatives , I ’ m aware that many of them are uncomfortable with this president—even though they won ’ t admit it openly .
Hearing from Republicans about their refusal to support Trump can provide a permission structure that allows them to confront their partisan tribalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having a narcissistic bully in the White House .
But the latest video from RVAT goes a step further and brings us a voice from inside the Trump administration about what ’ s really going on behind the scenes .
It is as terrifying as we ’ ve all imagined .
The former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security says that the president wanted to exploit DHS “ for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda.
” For example , in the middle of the wildfires in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off funding for assistance to that state because the people who lived there didn ’ t support him .
That lends credence to the story from Katherine Eban that Trump and Kushner were content to allow tens of thousands of Americans to die from COVID-19 as long as they were from Democratic states and counties .
But here ’ s the really terrifying part of that video : the president didn ’ t want to hear that his directives were illegal , saying he had “ magical authorities.
” What the hell does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this video was released , an op-ed by Miles Taylor was published at the Washington Post in which he states : Frankly , there were other people in the room when Trump claimed “ magical authorities ” to break the law ( I ’ m looking at you Kirstjen Nielsen ) .
They now need to step up to the plate for their country to back up what Taylor is saying … That ’ s because the stakes are so high .
At the end of the video above , Taylor says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this administration have told him , “ Just wait until the second term .
It ’ ll be no holds barred , it ’ ll be shock and awe , we ’ ll do what we want.
” Taylor ends by saying that , despite having policy differences with Joe Biden , he will vote for the Democratic ticket in November .
That ’ s because he understands the difference between what Adam Gopnik called “ toxic enemies and honest opponents.
” I ’ d say that , given their latest ad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Above and beyond policy differences , it all comes down to character .

Of all the Never Trump groups that have organized to defeat the president, the one that has impressed me the most is Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT). They’ve asked lifelong Republicans to videotape themselves explaining why they refuse to support Trump.
Because I know quite a few conservatives, I’m aware that many of them are uncomfortable with this president—even though they won’t admit it openly. Hearing from Republicans about their refusal to support Trump can provide a permission structure that allows them to confront their partisan tribalism and begin to surface their distaste for having a narcissistic bully in the White House.
But the latest video from RVAT goes a step further and brings us a voice from inside the Trump administration about what’s really going on behind the scenes. It is as terrifying as we’ve all imagined.
The former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security says that the president wanted to exploit DHS “for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda.” For example, in the middle of the wildfires in California, Trump told FEMA to cut off funding for assistance to that state because the people who lived there didn’t support him. That lends credence to the story from Katherine Eban that Trump and Kushner were content to allow tens of thousands of Americans to die from COVID-19 as long as they were from Democratic states and counties.
But here’s the really terrifying part of that video: the president didn’t want to hear that his directives were illegal, saying he had “magical authorities.” What the hell does that mean?
On the same day that this video was released, an op-ed by Miles Taylor was published at the Washington Post in which he states:
Like many Americans, I had hoped that Donald Trump, once in office, would soberly accept the burdens of the presidency — foremost among them the duty to keep America safe. But he did not rise to the challenge. Instead, the president has governed by whim, political calculation and self-interest.
Frankly, there were other people in the room when Trump claimed “magical authorities” to break the law (I’m looking at you Kirstjen Nielsen). They now need to step up to the plate for their country to back up what Taylor is saying … That’s because the stakes are so high. At the end of the video above, Taylor says that people who are still serving in this administration have told him, “Just wait until the second term. It’ll be no holds barred, it’ll be shock and awe, we’ll do what we want.”
Taylor ends by saying that, despite having policy differences with Joe Biden, he will vote for the Democratic ticket in November. That’s because he understands the difference between what Adam Gopnik called “toxic enemies and honest opponents.”
What’s needed against Trump now is…not an ideologically narrow, politically focussed opposition but the widest possible coalition of people who genuinely value the tenets of democracy, meaning no more than the passionate desire to settle differences by debate and argument, rather than by power and cruelty and clan.
I’d say that, given their latest ad, the Lincoln Project knows the difference too. Above and beyond policy differences, it all comes down to character.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-18--Susan Collins Engineered the USPS Disaster She’s Now Protesting

At this point , it should come as no surprise that the vast majority of Congressional Republicans have responded to the Trump administration ’ s gutting of the U.S .
Postal Service with near silence .
The president openly admitted last week that he is blocking additional funding to the USPS to undermine its ability to handle the coming surge of mail-in votes this fall .
U.S. mail delivery has also slowed down dramatically nationwide since his handpicked postmaster general , Louis DeJoy , a major GOP donor who has been in frequent communication with the Republican National Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for reasons of “ efficiency.
” These have included cutting overtime pay for postal workers , removing sorting machines from postal facilities , and eliminating mail boxes .
Yet despite the unique threat these moves have posed to American democracy , the only GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill to speak out are those facing competitive re-elections this fall , such as Montana Senator Steve Daines and Maine Senator Susan Collins .
Collins is in a particularly precarious position ; a July poll released by Colby College showed her trailing her Democratic opponent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five points .
Last Thursday , Collins sent a letter to DeJoy asking him to “ address ” the mail delivery delays being across the nation .
“ I share the goal of putting the USPS back on a financially sustainable path , ” she wrote .
“ However , this goal can not be achieved by shortchanging service to the public.
” As it turns out , Collins is actually one of the members of Congress most responsible for the Postal Service ’ s devastation .
Long before DeJoy started manipulating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a bill that crippled the agency ’ s finances .
In 2005 , she sponsored and introduced legislation , the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act ( PAEA ) , that required the USPS to pre-pay the next 50 years worth of health and retirement benefits for all of its employees—a rule that no other federal agency must follow .
As chair of the Senate oversight panel at the time , she shepherded the bill ’ s passage , along with her House GOP counterpart Tom Davis , during a lame-duck session of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote without any objections—a maneuver that gave members little time to consider what they were doing .
To meet the mandate for prefunding USPS ’ s health and retirement benefits , the measure required the Postal Service to place roughly $ 5.5 billion into a pension fund every year between 2007 and 2016 , followed by sizable additional payments , making it impossible for the institution to run a profit .
To make it even harder for the USPS to make money , the law prohibited the agency from any new activities outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Washington Monthly last year , New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell , who voted for the bill , called it “ one of the worst pieces of legislation Congress has passed in a generation.
” That ’ s because it saddled the institution with debt that no other government agency—or private company—is responsible for .
At the same time , it effectively blocked the USPS from taking advantage of new opportunities to provide services and garner revenue when it needed to make up for losses stemming from declines in first-class mail due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email .
Now , the post currently has $ 160.9 billion in debt , of which $ 119.3 billion is the result of pre-funding retiree benefits .
That was by design .
As Pascrell wrote , “ To argue that the Postal Service needs to be privatized , conservatives need to show that it is dysfunctional , and there ’ s no better way to do that than by weighing the agency down with impossible financial obligations.
” Collins ’ s role in passing that law has not gone unnoticed in Maine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point where people like our president can say , ‘ There ’ s a crisis here , ’ ” John Curtis of the Maine State Association of Letter Carriers told the Maine Beacon .
Maine Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree last week called the prefunding mandate in Collins ’ s 2006 law “ the number one cause of USPS ’ s financial enduring problems.
” On Tuesday , amid a growing outcry from state attorneys general ( who threatened a lawsuit ) , Democratic lawmakers , USPS workers , and average citizens fearful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medication , the Postmaster General announced that he would suspend the policies he ’ s instituted that have slowed the nation ’ s mail service .
It ’ s not clear , however , how much damage has already been done .
Nor is it clear whether the White House will accept an emergency infusion of government funds for the USPS to get it through the election season , as the Democrats and a few Republicans like Collins have called for .
But while a temporary jolt of cash makes sense , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-term problems .
That will require repealing the PAEA ’ s prefunding mandate .
Maine ’ s Independent Senator Angus King has come out in favor of such a repeal .
Collins , notably , has not .

At this point, it should come as no surprise that the vast majority of Congressional Republicans have responded to the Trump administration’s gutting of the U.S. Postal Service with near silence.
The president openly admitted last week that he is blocking additional funding to the USPS to undermine its ability to handle the coming surge of mail-in votes this fall. U.S. mail delivery has also slowed down dramatically nationwide since Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major GOP donor and former deputy finance chair for the Republican National Committee, as overseen raft of policies designed to increase “efficiency.” These have included removing sorting machines from postal facilities and eliminating mail boxes.
Yet despite the unique threat these moves have posed to American democracy, the only GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill to speak out are those facing competitive re-elections this fall, such as Montana Senator Steve Daines and Maine Senator Susan Collins.
Collins is in a particularly precarious position; a July poll released by Colby College showed her trailing her Democratic opponent, Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, by five points. Last Thursday, Collins sent a letter to DeJoy asking him to “address” the mail delivery delays across the nation. “I share the goal of putting the USPS back on a financially sustainable path,” she wrote. “However, this goal cannot be achieved by shortchanging service to the public.”
As it turns out, Collins is actually one of the members of Congress most responsible for the Postal Service’s devastation. Long before DeJoy started manipulating the USPS, Collins was at the forefront of a bill that crippled the agency’s finances.
In 2005, she sponsored and introduced legislation, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), that required the USPS to pre-pay the next 50 years worth of health and retirement benefits for all of its employees—a rule that no other federal agency must follow. As chair of the Senate oversight panel at the time, she shepherded the bill’s passage, along with her House GOP counterpart Tom Davis, during a lame-duck session of Congress. It passed by a voice vote without any objections—a maneuver that gave members little time to consider what they were doing.
To meet the mandate for prefunding USPS’s health and retirement benefits, the measure required the Postal Service to place roughly $5.5 billion into a pension fund every year between 2007 and 2016, followed by sizable additional payments, making it impossible for the institution to run a profit. To make it even harder for the USPS to make money, the law prohibited the agency from any new activities outside of delivering mail. In an essay for the Washington Monthly last year, New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell, who voted for the bill, called it “one of the worst pieces of legislation Congress has passed in a generation.”
That’s because it saddled the institution with debt that no other government agency—or private company—is responsible for. At the same time, it effectively blocked the USPS from taking advantage of new opportunities to provide services and garner revenue when it needed to make up for losses stemming from declines in first-class mail due to the rise of the Internet and email.
Now, the post currently has $160.9 billion in debt, of which $119.3 billion is the result of pre-funding retiree benefits. That was by design. As Pascrell wrote, “To argue that the Postal Service needs to be privatized, conservatives need to show that it is dysfunctional, and there’s no better way to do that than by weighing the agency down with impossible financial obligations.”
Collins’s role in passing that law has not gone unnoticed in Maine. “She weakened the Postal Service to the point where people like our president can say, ‘There’s a crisis here,’” John Curtis of the Maine State Association of Letter Carriers told the Maine Beacon. Maine Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree last week called the prefunding mandate in Collins’s 2006 law “the number one cause of USPS’s financial enduring problems.”
On Tuesday, amid a growing outcry from state attorneys general (who threatened a lawsuit), Democratic lawmakers, USPS workers, and average citizens fearful about mounting delays in delivery of their medication, the Postmaster General announced that he would suspend the policies he’s enacted that have slowed the nation’s mail service.
It’s not clear, however, how much damage has already been done. Nor is it clear whether the White House will accept an emergency infusion of government funds for USPS to get it through the election season, as the Democrats and a few Republicans like Collins have called for.
But while a temporary jolt of cash makes sense, it won’t solve USPS’s long-term problems. That will require repealing the PAEA’s prefunding mandate. Maine’s Independent Senator Angus King has come out in favor of such a repeal. Collins, notably, has not.


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-18--What Everyone Should Learn from Michelle Obama

It didn ’ t surprise me that Michelle Obama ’ s speech Monday night at the virtual Democratic National Convention was met with high praise .
While her husband developed a reputation as a great orator , the former first lady has always found a way to both connect with an audience and challenge us in a way that stands out in comparison to her predecessors .
That hasn ’ t just been true of the speeches she delivered in previous years at Democratic Conventions .
She ’ s done so at other moments as well .
For example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 primary , she gave a stirring reminder of how it is important for us to move beyond a politics dominated by fear .
But perhaps her most memorable speech prior to Monday night was the one she gave in response to the release of the Access Hollywood tape .
After Michelle said that Trump ’ s words were cruel and frightening , she acknowledged that they hurt .
It literally brought me to tears .
What I realized as she talked is that many of us have been in battle mode against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is spewing and spreading .
That is as it should be .
But it ’ s not a bad thing to take a moment and get in touch with how hurtful it all is .
There is a kind of cleansing from all the filth we ’ ve been exposed to that emanates from those tears , and it is the place in which our empathy for each other is rooted .
That is the tie that binds and makes us stronger together .
Being able to go there is the gift Michelle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s pretty good at this , so Michelle ’ s speech Monday night was no exception .
What stood out to me this time is that she told two competing stories about America .
Here ’ s one that ’ s dominating the headlines these days .
[ R ] ight now , kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another .
They ’ re looking around wondering if we ’ ve been lying to them this whole time about who we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see people shouting in grocery stores , unwilling to wear a mask to keep us all safe .
They see people calling the police on folks minding their own business just because of the color of their skin .
They see an entitlement that says only certain people belong here , that greed is good , and winning is everything because as long as you come out on top , it doesn ’ t matter what happens to everyone else .
And they see what happens when that lack of empathy is ginned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our leaders labeling fellow citizens enemies of the state while emboldening torch-bearing white supremacists .
They watch in horror as children are torn from their families and thrown into cages , and pepper spray and rubber bullets are used on peaceful protestors for a photo-op .
Sadly , this is the America that is on display for the next generation .
A nation that ’ s underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character .
But she ended with another story that doesn ’ t get told as often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have already sacrificed so much this year .
So many of you are already going that extra mile .
Even when you ’ re exhausted , you ’ re mustering up unimaginable courage to put on those scrubs and give our loved ones a fighting chance .
Even when you ’ re anxious , you ’ re delivering those packages , stocking those shelves , and doing all that essential work so that all of us can keep moving forward .
Even when it all feels so overwhelming , working parents are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care .
Teachers are getting creative so that our kids can still learn and grow .
Our young people are desperately fighting to pursue their dreams .
And when the horrors of systemic racism shook our country and our consciences , millions of Americans of every age , every background rose up to march for each other , crying out for justice and progress .
This is who we still are : compassionate , resilient , decent people whose fortunes are bound up with one another .
And it is well past time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our truth .
The choice on the ballot in November will be between those two competing stories .
As Michelle said , “ A presidential election can reveal who we are.
” As I listened to Michelle ’ s speech , it struck me that , given what we know about Donald Trump , I doubt he even understood what she was talking about .
I ’ m sure he understood the words she used , but she addressed our common humanity—something his narcissistic ego has never actually experienced .
Perhaps that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve noted before , she seems to be the one person who is able to silence this president .
He never criticizes her directly and has no derogatory nickname for her , even though she finally spoke his name for the first time in a speech and said this : True to form , Trump ’ s tweets were aimed at her husband and Joe Biden , not Michelle .
Rather than simply deride Michelle for suggesting that “ when they go low , we go high , ” perhaps we should all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from it .
As she reminded us Monday night , that doesn ’ t simply mean being nice .
It means cutting through the mistrust and lies with “ the cold hard truth .
”

It didn’t surprise me that Michelle Obama’s speech Monday night at the virtual Democratic National Convention was met with high praise. While her husband developed a reputation as a great orator, the former first lady has always found a way to both connect with an audience and challenge us in a way that stands out in comparison to her predecessors.
That hasn’t just been true of the speeches she delivered in previous years at Democratic Conventions. She’s done so at other moments as well. For example, at a speech in Iowa during the 2008 primary, she gave a stirring reminder of how it is important for us to move beyond a politics dominated by fear. But perhaps her most memorable speech prior to Monday night was the one she gave in response to the release of the Access Hollywood tape. After Michelle said that Trump’s words were cruel and frightening, she acknowledged that they hurt. It literally brought me to tears.
What I realized as she talked is that many of us have been in battle mode against the kinds of things that Donald Trump is spewing and spreading. That is as it should be. But it’s not a bad thing to take a moment and get in touch with how hurtful it all is. There is a kind of cleansing from all the filth we’ve been exposed to that emanates from those tears, and it is the place in which our empathy for each other is rooted. That is the tie that binds and makes us stronger together. Being able to go there is the gift Michelle gave us today.
To summarize, she’s pretty good at this, so Michelle’s speech Monday night was no exception.
What stood out to me this time is that she told two competing stories about America. Here’s one that’s dominating the headlines these days.
[R]ight now, kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another. They’re looking around wondering if we’ve been lying to them this whole time about who we are and what we truly value. They see people shouting in grocery stores, unwilling to wear a mask to keep us all safe. They see people calling the police on folks minding their own business just because of the color of their skin. They see an entitlement that says only certain people belong here, that greed is good, and winning is everything because as long as you come out on top, it doesn’t matter what happens to everyone else. And they see what happens when that lack of empathy is ginned up into outright disdain. They see our leaders labeling fellow citizens enemies of the state while emboldening torch-bearing white supremacists. They watch in horror as children are torn from their families and thrown into cages, and pepper spray and rubber bullets are used on peaceful protestors for a photo-op. Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation. A nation that’s underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character.
But she ended with another story that doesn’t get told as often (emphasis mine).
Look, we have already sacrificed so much this year. So many of you are already going that extra mile. Even when you’re exhausted, you’re mustering up unimaginable courage to put on those scrubs and give our loved ones a fighting chance. Even when you’re anxious, you’re delivering those packages, stocking those shelves, and doing all that essential work so that all of us can keep moving forward. Even when it all feels so overwhelming, working parents are somehow piecing it all together without child care. Teachers are getting creative so that our kids can still learn and grow. Our young people are desperately fighting to pursue their dreams. And when the horrors of systemic racism shook our country and our consciences, millions of Americans of every age, every background rose up to march for each other, crying out for justice and progress. This is who we still are: compassionate, resilient, decent people whose fortunes are bound up with one another. And it is well past time for our leaders to once again reflect our truth.
The choice on the ballot in November will be between those two competing stories. As Michelle said, “A presidential election can reveal who we are.”
As I listened to Michelle’s speech, it struck me that, given what we know about Donald Trump, I doubt he even understood what she was talking about. I’m sure he understood the words she used, but she addressed our common humanity—something his narcissistic ego has never actually experienced.
Perhaps that is another reason why, as I’ve noted before, she seems to be the one person who is able to silence this president. He never criticizes her directly and has no derogatory nickname for her, even though she finally spoke his name for the first time in a speech and said this:
Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.
True to form, Trump’s tweets were aimed at her husband and Joe Biden, not Michelle.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1295677035466162177
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1295680975184310272
Rather than simply deride Michelle for suggesting that “when they go low, we go high,” perhaps we should all be studying her approach and learning something from it. As she reminded us Monday night, that doesn’t simply mean being nice. It means cutting through the mistrust and lies with “the cold hard truth.”


washingtonmonthly--2020-08-19--A Bipartisan Rebuke of Barr’s Attack on the Trump-Russia Investigation

Imagine for a moment that you were working for U.S. intelligence when you learned the following about some of the people working on the Trump presidential campaign .
• Paul Manafort , who was the campaign manager , passed sensitive campaign data to a known Russian agent , Konstantin Kilimnik , who was acting as the go-between for Manafort with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska .
Manafort ’ s presence on the campaign and proximity to Trump created opportunities for Russian intelligence services to exert influence over , and acquire confidential information on , the Trump campaign .
That presented a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate and senior campaign officials attempted to obtain advance information about the release of damaging DNC and Clinton emails by WikiLeaks ( an organization that was knowingly collaborating with Russian government officials ) from Roger Stone , who they believed had inside information .
• Michael Cohen , who was the candidate ’ s personal lawyer , reached out to the Kremlin directly to solicit the Russian government ’ s assistance about building a Trump Tower in Moscow at the end of 2015 , a project that would have brought the candidate hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • George Papadopoulos , a member of the campaign ’ s foreign policy team , learned about Russian active measures to influence the election from Joseph Misfud , someone with longstanding Russia ties , in April 2016 and told at least two foreign governments about it .
• Carter Page , another member of the campaign ’ s foreign policy team , had longstanding ties to Moscow and during visits to Russia in 2016 , met with a figure about whom the intelligence community had counterintelligence concerns .
It is possible that any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been overlooked .
But if you combine that with the fact that Trump ’ s primary foreign policy advisor , Michael Flynn , had also been a paid guest at the 10th anniversary celebration of Russia Today ( RT ) at a luxury hotel in Moscow in December 2015 , a pattern begins to emerge .
The bullet points above are some of the findings contained in the final report from the Senate Intelligence Committee on their bipartisan investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign .
We can have a discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump campaign was “ colluding ” with Russia , but what is not possible is to suggest that our intelligence services were wrong to open an investigation .
Given the pattern that was emerging , they would have been derelict in their duty if they had failed to do so .
In addition , the report addressed what happened during the transition .
“ Russia and other countries took advantage of the Transition Team ’ s inexperience , transparent opposition to Obama Administration policies , and Trump ’ s desire to deepen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ channels through which Russia could conduct diplomacy , ” the report said .
“ The lack of vetting of foreign interactions by Transition officials left the Transition open to influence and manipulation by foreign intelligence services , government leaders , and co-opted business executives.
” It added , “ Russian officials , intelligence services , and others acting on the Kremlin ’ s behalf were capable of exploiting the Transition ’ s shortcomings for Russia ’ s advantage .
Based on available information it is possible — and even likely — that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can disagree about whether or not this amounts to collusion .
But at minimum , it is a dangerous level of incompetence that threatened this country ’ s national security .
Not much in the Senate Intelligence Report is new information .
But what is significant about it stems from the fact that , regardless of the obvious pattern that was emerging during the fall and winter of 2016 , Attorney General William Barr has ignored all of that and launched a new probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation .
Previewing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the Justice Department ’ s investigation into Russian interference “ one of the greatest travesties in American history , ” claiming that it had been undertaken “ without any basis ” and that the investigators were “ trying to sabotage the presidency.
” Even worse , Barr is obviously planning to release the cooked-up results of his investigation in the weeks prior to the November election , in direct violation of Justice Department policy .
In preparation for that interference in the election from the attorney general , it is important for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the findings not only of the Mueller probe and Inspector General Horowitz ’ s investigation .
We can now add the bipartisan findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee—making it clear that Barr is doing nothing more than using the Department of Justice to carry out a political vendetta against those who dared to question Donald Trump ’ s ties to Vladimir Putin .

Imagine for a moment that you were working for U.S. intelligence when you learned the following about some of the people working on the Trump presidential campaign.
Paul Manafort , who was the campaign manager, passed sensitive campaign data to a known Russian agent, Konstantin Kilimnik, who was acting as the go-between for Manafort with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Manafort’s presence on the campaign and proximity to Trump created opportunities for Russian intelligence services to exert influence over, and acquire confidential information on, the Trump campaign. That presented a “grave counterintelligence threat.”
, who was the campaign manager, passed sensitive campaign data to a known Russian agent, Konstantin Kilimnik, who was acting as the go-between for Manafort with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Manafort’s presence on the campaign and proximity to Trump created opportunities for Russian intelligence services to exert influence over, and acquire confidential information on, the Trump campaign. That presented a “grave counterintelligence threat.” The candidate and senior campaign officials attempted to obtain advance information about the release of damaging DNC and Clinton emails by WikiLeaks (an organization that was knowingly collaborating with Russian government officials) from Roger Stone , who they believed had inside information.
(an organization that was knowingly collaborating with Russian government officials) from , who they believed had inside information. Michael Cohen , who was the candidate’s personal lawyer, reached out to the Kremlin directly to solicit the Russian government’s assistance about building a Trump Tower in Moscow at the end of 2015, a project that would have brought the candidate hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
, who was the candidate’s personal lawyer, reached out to the Kremlin directly to solicit the Russian government’s assistance about building a Trump Tower in Moscow at the end of 2015, a project that would have brought the candidate hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. George Papadopoulos , a member of the campaign’s foreign policy team, learned about Russian active measures to influence the election from Joseph Misfud, someone with longstanding Russia ties, in April 2016 and told at least two foreign governments about it.
, a member of the campaign’s foreign policy team, learned about Russian active measures to influence the election from Joseph Misfud, someone with longstanding Russia ties, in April 2016 and told at least two foreign governments about it. Carter Page, another member of the campaign’s foreign policy team, had longstanding ties to Moscow and during visits to Russia in 2016, met with a figure about whom the intelligence community had counterintelligence concerns.
It is possible that any one of those items in isolation might have been overlooked. But if you combine that with the fact that Trump’s primary foreign policy advisor, Michael Flynn, had also been a paid guest at the 10th anniversary celebration of Russia Today (RT) at a luxury hotel in Moscow in December 2015, a pattern begins to emerge.
The bullet points above are some of the findings contained in the final report from the Senate Intelligence Committee on their bipartisan investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. We can have a discussion about whether or not they prove that the Trump campaign was “colluding” with Russia, but what is not possible is to suggest that our intelligence services were wrong to open an investigation. Given the pattern that was emerging, they would have been derelict in their duty if they had failed to do so.
In addition, the report addressed what happened during the transition.
“Russia and other countries took advantage of the Transition Team’s inexperience, transparent opposition to Obama Administration policies, and Trump’s desire to deepen ties with Russia, to pursue unofficial channels through which Russia could conduct diplomacy,” the report said. “The lack of vetting of foreign interactions by Transition officials left the Transition open to influence and manipulation by foreign intelligence services, government leaders, and co-opted business executives.” It added, “Russian officials, intelligence services, and others acting on the Kremlin’s behalf were capable of exploiting the Transition’s shortcomings for Russia’s advantage. Based on available information it is possible — and even likely — that they did so.”
Once again, we can disagree about whether or not this amounts to collusion. But at minimum, it is a dangerous level of incompetence that threatened this country’s national security.
Not much in the Senate Intelligence Report is new information. But what is significant about it stems from the fact that, regardless of the obvious pattern that was emerging during the fall and winter of 2016, Attorney General William Barr has ignored all of that and launched a new probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. Previewing what he wants to find, he called the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference “one of the greatest travesties in American history,” claiming that it had been undertaken “without any basis” and that the investigators were “trying to sabotage the presidency.” Even worse, Barr is obviously planning to release the cooked-up results of his investigation in the weeks prior to the November election, in direct violation of Justice Department policy.
In preparation for that interference in the election from the attorney general, it is important for all of us to be aware of the findings not only of the Mueller probe and Inspector General Horowitz’s investigation. We can now add the bipartisan findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee—making it clear that Barr is doing nothing more than using the Department of Justice to carry out a political vendetta against those who dared to question Donald Trump’s ties to Vladimir Putin.