No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen - Postal workers defy DeJoy to save USPS

Episode Date: August 23, 2020

Postal workers are finally fighting back against Louis DeJoy and his efforts to sabotage the mail. Trump handed Joe Biden a massive win at the Democratic National Convention. And Brian speaks with Congresswoman and former VP contender Karen Bass about Congress’s new bill to fully fund USPS and the impacts that delaying the mail is having on Republican voters.Written by Brian Tyler CohenProduced by Sam GraberRecorded in Los Angeles, CAhttps://www.briantylercohen.com/podcast/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we're going to talk about how postal workers are finally fighting back against Louis DeJoy and his efforts to sabotage the mail, and how Trump and Republicans handed Joe Biden a massive win at the Democratic Convention. And I speak with Congresswoman and former VP contender Karen Bass about Congress's new bill to fully fund the USPS and the impacts that delaying the mail is having on Republican voters. I'm Brian Tyler Cohen, and you're listening to No Lie. Okay, let's start off with the Postal Service. We've seen quite a bit of action regarding the Postal Service in the last few days, and it's moving quickly, so I'm sure by the time you listen to this, we'll know even more. But let's begin with Lewis DeJoy testifying to the Senate on Friday, August 21st.

Now, we already know that DeJoy said he's suspending the decommissioning of sorting machines until after the election, because he says he didn't want to give the appearance of impacting election mail. Yeah, we wouldn't want to give the appearance of impacting election mail by doing something that, directly impacts election mail. That's like if you're setting your curtains on fire and then you agree to stop because you don't want to give the appearance that you're trying to burn your house down. So, yeah, thanks, Lewis DeJoy. We sure do appreciate the thoughtfulness. But on the subject of those sorting machines, here's what DeJoy told Senator Peters from

Michigan during the hearing. We've heard about the sorters. You addressed that earlier. Will you be bringing back any mail sorting machines that have been removed since you've become postmaster general? will any of those come back? There's no intention to do that. They're not needed, sir.

So you will not bring back any processors. They're not needed, sir. That he won't bring back any of the decommission machines. So the point here was that when DeJoy had come out and made his self-righteous proclamation that he would pause all removals until after the election because, God forbid, he gave the impression that he's doing something wrong and the Democrats celebrated that victory. The point here is that the damage was already done. Those machines were already enough to have the impact that Trump was looking for.

And we're already seeing delays. People who used to receive mail in a couple days are now waiting weeks. The damage is done. The point is that DeJoy knew that's all he needed to do to accomplish his goal. So him granting us the concession of pausing those removals wasn't a concession at all. It was him handing us a hollow victory. And he knew that because do not forget that this is an official in the Trump administration, administration and they are devoid of shame and they exist to destroy the agencies they oversee.

Now, I'll talk more about this in my interview with Karen Bass, but the House has now passed a bill 257 to 150 giving $25 billion in funding to the Postal Service. And included in those 257 yes votes were 26 Republicans, which these days might as well be 100, right? And that's proof of a few things. It's proof that Republicans are full. finally realizing how toxic Trump is to them and giving themselves permission to jump ship. And also, that protecting the Postal Service is a winning issue. It's not the partisan cudgel that Trump and Republicans thought it would be. Turns out, Republicans rely on the Postal Service just as much as Democrats, if not more.

But I do want to point out that one of the most important elements of that bill is that it would reinstate those machines and mailboxes that DeJoy claims. weren't necessary. Because, again, while a lot of people celebrated the fact that DeJoy pause removals, the second thing that everybody said was, okay, now what about the sorting machines and mailboxes that were taken away. So the fact that this legislation would seek to undo those changes instead of just insulating the post office from the next administration is really important here, right? This isn't just for show. This would actually be meaningful and impactful legislation. And of course, that hinges upon whether it goes anywhere in the Senate.

So, frankly, I don't know, and I highly doubt if McConnell will even bring it up for a vote in the Senate. And even if he did, I wouldn't bet a single dime on Republicans doing the right thing. But I would just say this. When a senior doesn't get his or her medication, that is on the Republican Party. When a veteran doesn't get medication, that is on the Republican Party. When a farmer doesn't get livestock or feed because they either die or spoil because of delays, that is on the Republican Party. When you incur a late fee on your bills because they didn't arrive in time, that is on the Republican Party. Like, I don't care how long you've been a Republican.

I don't care if you've pulled the lever for the GOP since Eisenhower. You've got to be able to recognize that this is a party that is letting people suffer in real time because they're more concerned with helping one man consolidate power for himself. than they are with protecting even the most basic function of American society. But there is actually good news, and I'm sorry to bury the lead here, but outside of Congress, some postal workers have taken matters into their own hands. So despite orders not to reinstall decommission equipment, postal workers in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington have reinstalled sorting machines anyway. Postal workers in Dallas, Texas, also attempted to reinstall for sorting machines,

although those attempts were unsuccessful because the machines were missing pieces, but the point here is that they made the effort. And in Washington, it was a successful effort. And that shows that hopefully these postal workers are pushing back. And here's the thing. The postal workers know what a disaster to joy's policies have been. They know better than anyone. So if there's anyone who'd want these machines to be reinstalled, it's them.

I feel perfectly fine speaking for postal workers when I say that USPS employees unequivocally do not want to be the front lines in a nationwide voter suppression scheme on behalf of the Republican Party. So I would just say, keep going. Reinstall those machines around the country. Don't just let the Tacoma and Dallas folks jump on the grenade here. Plug them back in and get your jobs done. Americans are watching now. Congress is watching now.

Our presidential and vice presidential nominees are watching now. It's going to be a hell of a lot harder for Lewis to Joy. to punish people for doing their jobs now that the whole country wants nothing more than for this guy to be investigated and charged. So thank you to the postal workers in Tacoma and Dallas, and I really, really hope that I'll have a lot more to thank after this. Next, let's talk about the Democratic Convention,

and Joe Biden's performance specifically. So Republicans had spent months attacking Joe Biden's cognitive abilities and claiming that he couldn't string two words together and that the guy didn't know where he was. And between the fact that Biden wasn't really holding many events because there's a deadly pandemic swimming across the country and the fact that, yeah, in fairness, he's known to make a gaff or two. There was a world in which Trump's attacks might have held some merit,

but that would depend upon his performance at the convention. That was his first real moment to address the nation live and to basically sink or swim, right? It wouldn't just be him accepting the nomination. nation, right? It would be the possible validation of literal months of Republican attacks. So it's the end of the Democratic convention. Joe Biden walks up to the podium and here are a few moments from the speech. For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear. And light is more powerful and dark. This is our moment. This is our mission. May history be able

to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight. as love and hope and light join in the battle for the soul of the nation. And this is a battle we will win and we'll do it together. I promise you. To claim that Joe Biden met the moment would be an understatement. Biden delivered to a degree that no one could argue with. And you don't have to take my word for it. Here is the entire slate of Fox News hosts right after the speech.

Oh, I thought it was an enormously effective speech. Remember, Donald Trump has been talking for months about Joe Biden as mentally shot, a captive of the left, and yes, Biden was reading from a teleprompter and a prepared speech, but I thought that he blew a hole, a big hole in that characterization. Michelle Obama stuck the landing. I think keeping with that theme that Joe Biden just hit a home run in the bottom of the night. Well, I thought it was an excellent end. It was a very good speech. He had a balancing act here tonight. He was trying to balance two different things. One was the image portraying himself as a unifier who would bring the country together. He did so very, I thought, very effectively. And if I were Republican strategist in the Trump campaign,

I'd be worried about how long and how effectively he carries that theme forward because that's the thing that will keep the swing voters in his camp. If they are in his camp or bring them to him. Chris Wallace, Dana Perino, and Carl Rove. Look, I'm not saying they're going to vote for. Biden, but you don't usually have Rupert Murdoch's entire staff applauding in unison for the guy set to take out a Republican president. And the reason that Joe Biden was so universally praised was because Donald Trump, in his

infinite wisdom, set the bar on the ocean floor. Like, you got to hand it to the business genius who spent literal months telling everyone that Joe Biden wouldn't even remember his name, that he wouldn't be able to find the podium. Trump's whole argument was that Biden couldn't pass a dementia test. First of all, Trump made himself out to look ridiculous by bragging about passing a test that involves correctly identifying an elephant to begin with. But beyond that, way to lower the bar. Way to set the stage.

Biden won the second he was able to put a shirt on. But then to go out there and deliver likely one of the best speeches of his career, a speech that absolutely met the moment? Well, then that was it. It was an unequivocal success for Joe Biden. And meanwhile, you know, we're out here holding our breath for Joe. We've all heard Trump speeches. You want to talk about shitting the bed.

This is Donald Trump. We're talking about a guy who walks up to the mic and some errant synapses fire in his brain. And all of a sudden, we're talking about killer windmills and dead birds and toilets that don't flush and low-pressure showerheads and soldiers with no bullets and empty. cupboards and wanting college football back and then airports during the Revolutionary War, nuking hurricanes, Antifa super soldiers, abolishing the suburbs, injecting disinfectant, and acing dementia tests. If Joe Biden said one one thousandth of what Trump says on a daily basis, Fox News would be calling for him to be taken back to the nursing home and they would be right.

So look, I think it's easy to fall for the, this trap of letting the right dictate the terms of the conversation. I'm guilty of it too, right? We basically allowed them to decide that if Biden screwed up, it would validate their attacks on him. But we really have to take a step back here and acknowledge that when your guy is Donald Trump, then I'm sorry, but you really don't have any say in whether or not someone else is qualified or not. And mark my words, when the Republican convention begins, I guarantee you that you're going to see Trump try and accomplish the same thing that Biden did so well. He'll try and prove that he can be a president for all Americans because he's realizing

that the key to Biden's success is the fact that he's building a broad coalition. And so Trump will squint his way through a prepared speech on a teleprompter, and without fail, some reporters will have a fainting spell over the president's new tone, and congressional Republicans will claim that this is the best speech since the Gettysburg address, because Trump managed to not shit in a bag and set it on fire right there on stage, but it will fall flat because that is not who Donald Trump is. We know Donald Trump. He's the guy who separated kids from their parents at the border.

He's the guy who exploded the national deficit to give himself a tax cut. He extorted a foreign country for dirt on his opponent. He knew that Russia placed bounties on American soldiers' heads and let them get away with it. And he's letting vets and seniors go without medications because he'd rather destroy the post office then let people vote. That is who Donald Trump is. And no teleprompter speech is going to change that,

regardless of whether Trump can stop himself from going off on some tangent about post-birth abortion or Sharia law. So ignore the bells and whistles of yet another four days of the Trump show at this Republican convention, because actions speak far louder than words, and his actions over the last four years are beyond disqualifying. Next up is my interview with Congresswoman, Karen Bass. We'll get a firsthand look into what Congress is doing right now to ensure that

legislation is passed to fund the Postal Service and what the impacts on Trump's own voters would be if they continue to let it fail. Today we have California Congresswoman and a former vice presidential contender, Karen Bass. I know today's been a little hectic, so thanks so much for coming on. Sure. Happy to be here. So we're recording this on Saturday. You just came back from a vote on the $25 billion USPS bill. Can you tell us about that bill and what it includes? Sure. Well, we're not finished voting on the bill. We just voted on part of it. But basically, the bill provides $25 billion for the post office. But it also tells the postmaster he needs to rectify the damage that he's already done. So removing the blue boxes, taking out the sorting machines, he needs to put them back. And so those are the main components of this bill. Now, a couple of weeks ago, the president said, said he would welcome and he would sign a standalone bill. The $25 billion is what the post office has requested. So he said he would sign a standalone bill, but one never knows what the

president's going to do from one minute to the next because now we're talking about vetoing the bill. So who knows? Have you heard from any Republicans that they're signaling support for this bill? You know, I've not personally talked to Republicans, but I know there will be Republican support for this bill, because the post office is in Republican districts as well, and especially some of my Republican colleagues who represent rural areas, you know, where Amazon, UPS, FedEx might not get there, they're dependent on the post office. The post office is also where hundreds of thousands of veterans get their medications, and many other people do as well. It's the number one employer of veterans. So everyone has something at stake with the post office.

Right. And I do want to talk about those Republicans who don't come on board. I mean, changes to this Postal Service, like you said, they impact everyone, but it's a disproportionate impact on rural areas, which are Republican areas. I mean, you know, like you said, you can't find a CVS on every corner in Appalachia, right? Like you can't find a UPS or FedEx. You even hear about farmers who are having their chicks die on the way to hatcheries by the thousands. So how are those Republicans deferring to Trump over their own constituents? or is the allure of voter suppression just too strong? Let me just tell you that that's been the question for the last three and a half years. I mean, my Republican colleagues have taken many, many votes that directly hurt their constituents. The question to me is, how do they get away with it? That's the question of the hour. They choose to obey Trump versus serve their constituents. So we saw during the Senate hearing with Lewis DeJoy that he's not going to

give in easily. He lied and said that his changes are intended to make the Postal Service more efficient. And look, I'm no logistics genius like Lewis DeJoy, but mandating that letter carriers can't finish the roots and cutting overtime and blocking extra trips that were used to ensure that the mail is delivered doesn't seem like it's going to make anything more efficient, right? It seems like it's going to delay the mail. The president has been hostile to the post office for the last three and a half years. So part of this is nothing new. It's just that the acceleration of the attacks on the post office is absolutely related to the upcoming election. And so he did backtrack because of public outcry. This is why public outcry is

so, so important. He did back away and he said he would do the other efficiency measures after the election. When he comes to testify for the House, what do you hope to see your Democratic colleagues accomplish? Because, I mean, like I said, we've already seen that he's more than willing to lie to the Democratic senators. Well, I think that they need to hold him accountable for what he said on Friday. So let's see if he changes it. Maybe his story will change. Maybe he will decide to be more truthful. But, you know, this is what happens when you put someone who is essentially your donor with no background in the post office, no background in this area at all. But you put him there because he's your political supporter

so that he will do what needs to happen to make sure you get reelected. Right. So something that a lot of people are struggling with right now is a feeling that there won't be any accountability for Lewis to Joy. That Democrats are always playing catch up

and just trying to stop the bleeding and that nothing actually happens to these people. So can you speak to that? Well, yes, I can speak to it. Now, in terms of nothing happening to him, I don't know what people are referring to. They wanted to be arrested. They wanted to be put in jail.

They wanting to be fired. He is an appointee of the president. We do not have the power or the authority over that. One thing that I think is very important, and I do this with my constituents in Los Angeles all the time, and that is explain how the process and how the system works. So people might believe that Congress has more power than we do in terms of why don't you just fire the postmaster general. Well, we can't fire the postmaster general.

general. But all of those things, I feel it's my responsibility to explain to people what it is we can do and what it is we can't do. But here's what everybody can do. Everybody can vote in the next 70-plus days. And if we have a new president, we wouldn't be having this discussion. If we are off with this guy for four more years, we haven't seen anything yet. Actually, I mean, this seems like a good opportunity to kind of give you the floor and kind of speak to my viewers and listeners about the different ways that we have that we can that we can vote effectively and safely well one of the most important things is is that if you come from a state that has early voting the minute you get that ballot if you can please send it in right away because even though we're going to do everything

we can to make sure that this is not the latest a tactic to suppress the votes mail it in early so then there cannot be an excuse that's one of the most important things the other thing is is that in this COVID environment where we have all learned the word Zoom, you can Zoom with your friends and family around the country and make sure that everybody understands how to vote in your particular state. Voting is controlled on a state and a county level, and so we have to make sure that everyone knows what is appropriate in your area. You can't wait until November 2nd to figure out how to vote.

It might be too late. So the minute early voting starts, get that ballot, send it in, do a Zoom call with your friends and families from around the country and make sure everyone is prepared. And by the way, while you're doing that, fill out your census form if you haven't done that already. That's right. Good call. So speaking to that point, there has been attacks by Trump, unlike you said, just allowing people to vote by mail in the first place. They've started attacking drop boxes. They've instituted voter ID laws. In Florida, we're seeing basically what's akin to a poll tax. by undermining the Amendment 4 that passed in the last election. Lewis DeJoy has tripled the price of postage for ballots. Now Trump's threatening to deploy troops to polling stations.

So, first of all, is that legal and what's being done to stop it? Well, first of all, this is so sad. I mean, you know, I serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and this is the kind of thing that happens in other countries that the U.S. is always so critical about. So the only reason why you would send out troops to a polling station is to scare people. This is something that was done in California to very specifically frighten immigrants. Because at the same time that they send in the police, they also will tell you, if you vote incorrectly, you might get sent to jail.

So in other places, it's done to intimidate black voters. And they have sent black voters to jail for making mistakes. And so we have to push back on a local level and say we are not going to allow this to happen. But you know what? If they do send the troops, we again have to educate people to say, you go in and you vote anyway. You're not breaking the law. This is your constitutional right. This is a free country.

So you just walk right past those troops. So let's talk about the vice presidential nominating process. You were on the short list to serve as VP. It's my understanding that the questionnaire that you fill out is pretty intrusive. So obviously, I don't expect you to divulge any of your answers. But can you give an example or two of the kind of questions that you're asked that surprised you? Sure, sure. You're asked for your taxes.

You're asked for where you worked. I mean, your basic questions that you would be asked going for any job. But I will tell you that it was an incredible honor to have been considered that the women were up for the job. and they're all prepared. We're all amazing. The person that got the job, my junior senator California, Kamala Harris, very excited, very proud to make her speech the other night and introduce herself to the country. So I think we're in great shape with our ticket. I'm excited. I have been zooming every day, campaigning, making sure that in 70-plus days, we will get some relief. And it's not just that we owe it to the country. We frankly owe it to the world to correct

the mistake that was done in 2016. So because Kamala Harris is the VP nominee, there's suddenly an opening for a Senate seat in California that Governor Newsom has to fill. Are you on the short list for that? There is no list. You know, I have so much empathy for my governor right now because aside from the fact that he did everything right around COVID, we've still had. a spike. And in the middle of having a spike on COVID, he's dealing with over 60 wildfires. So the last thing he's thinking about is an appointment that he will have to make in January. So I'm not bothering him. We will see what happened. There might be other opportunities out there. And so we'll just pray for California and see what happens. Well, the last thing I want to

ask you about is Joe Biden's speech at the convention. So Trump had spent weeks claiming that Joe Biden wouldn't even remember his own name, that he'd be lucky if he didn't just walk up to the podium and start drooling, right? Like, obviously, that's not what happened. He blew it out of the water. Could you tell us what chapter and art of the deal is lowering the bar to the ocean floor and basically ensuring victory for your opponent? You know, I mean, what we know we're going to see next week at the Republican Convention is going to be a replay of 1968 with George Wallace, a open about white racists, white supremacists, who ran a campaign of fear of race and violence and law and order. And we're going to see a repeat of that campaign. So it's going to be resurrecting

the ghost of George Wallace. I thought Vice President Biden, soon to be President Biden, did a wonderful job. And I think one of the most important things that came across from the Democratic Convention all four days was that the Democratic Party cares. about people. A hundred and seventy thousand Americans have perished in the last four months. The first job of the commander-in-chief is to protect his people, and this commander-in-chief hasn't the capacity to be empathetic for the souls that have been lost. And I think that soon to be President Biden communicated empathy and concern and commitment

that we have not seen in the last three and a half years. And to that point, I mean, the part that that's going to make it so difficult for Trump is that this isn't a new thing for him, right? Like, he's had over seven months to do any of the things required to get this virus under control. And yet still, in August, we don't have a nationwide testing or contact tracing system. We didn't have enough PPE. You know, he never advocated for state homeowners. We have no nationwide mask mandate.

All of the things that he could have done. to help himself, basically, in the next election, to get this virus under control, he hasn't done. And yet he's had plenty of time to destroy the constitutionally enshrined post office. But, you know, why would we be surprised? He has never expressed any concern for the American people at all. He doesn't even have concern for his own supporters, which is why he wanted them all congregated in a stadium. And one of his main supporters died as a consequence of it.

Did he even say anything? After Herman Cain died, maybe he tweeted something, but he does not have the capacity to have empathy. And that is a serious problem. I don't, that to me disqualifies him for the job. And we have paid the consequences over three and a half years for the vote that we took in 2016. We have 70 plus days to rectify the situation.

And I'm confident that the American people will do this, we'll correct it, which is why they're trying to go to such extraordinary measures to cheat, because they know that's the only way they could win. Well, that seems like a good place that I need to end this. So, Congressman, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Thank you for yours. Thanks again to Congresswoman Bass.

That's it for this episode. Talk to you next week. You've been listening to No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen. Produced by Sam Graber, music by Wellesie, interviews captured and edited for YouTube and Facebook by Nicholas Nicotera. and recorded in Los Angeles, California. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe on your preferred podcast app.

Feel free to leave a five-star rating and a review, and check out Brian Tyler Cohen.com for links to all of my other channels.