Bloomberg: “The furor over the U.S. Postal Service imperils a vital lifeline for the Republican rural base and threatens to damage GOP lawmakers’ re-election bids, potentially even President Donald Trump’s campaign in critical battle grounds.”
“Rural residents are especially dependent on the mail for medication and retail purchases, with private carriers like UPS and FedEx most likely to contract out the last leg of delivery to the post office in sparsely populated areas. More rural residents also are elderly or lack broadband service, making it harder for them to handle bills electronically. The letter carriers traversing country roads often have a personal connection with their customers. That resonance may be one reason Postmaster General Louis DeJoy backpedaled in the face of an exploding outcry on changes he ordered. DeJoy has suspended removals of mail-sorting machines and blue collection boxes until after the election. Democrats had argued the cuts were designed to hinder mail-in voting, but he defended them as overdue cost-cutting measures.”