Feb.19

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

No More DeJoy in Mudville

Yesterday came a development that many Democrats have awaited for more than 4 years: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy sent a letter to the USPS Board of Governors that he is stepping down from his post, as soon as a successor can be chosen.

Why now? Largely speaking, the letter does not say. However, all kinds of possibilities suggest themselves:

• He Is Tired of the Job: If you DID look to the letter for clues, this would be the answer you'd have to settle on, since he does mention how demanding the job has been, and how trying to implement changes is a constant struggle.
  
  
• He Fears the Reaper: No, not that one. The one from South Africa who manages to wield his scythe against every federal agency, sooner or later. The USPS is only quasi-public, and so is only partly under the control of the federal government, but it is likely that Elon Musk either doesn't know that, or doesn't care.
  
  
• He Fears the Crowbar Hotel: Donald Trump could put pressure on DeJoy to do something unethical or illegal. The Postmaster might not want to do that, but might also prefer not to have a Trumpy target on his back as he rejoins the private sector. So, a resignation might be meant to get out ahead of that sort of crisis.
  
  
• He Fears the Floor: That is to say, the one that might fall out from under him. By all accounts, from folks on both sides of the aisle, DeJoy has done good work improving the USPS's financial position. However, there is still a shortfall on the horizon, and things could get ugly. If the economy goes into recession, they could get uglier still. DeJoy might want to exit before that happens.
  
  
• He Hopes for a Trumpy Replacement: Though DeJoy has gotten good reviews, he was once a Trumper, and he may well still be one. He could want to improve the odds he's replaced by another Trumper. If so, that would not explain why he's quitting now, so much as it explains why he held on for as long as he did.

Whatever the motivation is, DeJoy is at DeEnd. Note that the new postmaster general will be chosen entirely by the USPS Board of Governors, without input from Congress or either of the co-presidents. At the moment, there are three Republicans, two Democrats, and two independents on the Board, so a range of outcomes is possible. There are also three vacancies, so if Trump quickly fills one or more of those (as is his right), then it could push the replacement process in a Trumpy direction. (Z)