[PREVIEW] USPS | Honest Government Ad

Just a little comment: that flag in the background looks like a 48 star flag -- where the stars are all lined up. On the 50 star flag, the stars don't actually line up.

Congratulations, the final video is absolutely amazing! Relevant, actionable, and will stand the test of time (by which I mean, "not even end of this fucking year", although in fairness, it will feel like infinity). (also, glad you landed on "bullshit" :D)

This message is authorised by noJoy to the UnSupportedPostalSlaves.

One more thought: I'd been thinking that DeJoy needed to selectively slow down the mail in Democrat-leaning areas, but now I don't think that's necessary. Trump has been badmouthing mail-in-voting to an extent that his followers will be less likely to do it. Meanwhile, democrats ignore his advice because we're more aware that anything Trump says is likely to be wrong. That means mailed in ballots will predominately lean democratic, so slowing them down (past return cutoff dates) will in itself disenfranchise more democratic votes than Republican ones, rigging the election.

Important information again put across succinctly and with the wonderful irreverence we’ve come to expect from you guys. Great stuff, keep it up.

Hey look, nobody could have seen that coming: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/20/politics/usps-reconnect-sorting-machines/index.html

This reporter got VIDEO of some hastily broken sorting machines: https://twitter.com/_HeatherWalker/status/1296122043772133382 And in this tweet she says the process of dismantling sorting machines in Grand Rapids, Michigan started yesterday - the same day DeJoy claimed these activities would stop. https://twitter.com/_HeatherWalker/status/1296109536164679681 Sounds like somebody's not quite telling the truth.

Run it as is.

I love it. Some politicians are saying they are going to wait to see DeJoy s actions, not trusting his words. Plus there is the stuff I mentioned before, the Libertarian party and the Kochtopus. The Billionaire Behind Efforts to Kill the U.S. Postal Service By Lisa Graves/True North Research for In the Public Interest JULY 2020

One more quote: "All of the targeted machines were in districts where Hillary Clinton won the vote in 2016. Southern California, San Francisco area, Seattle, Portland Oregon, Chicago area, NY and other blue NE states, Dallas/Austin, Houston in Texas, and other areas." This is only from a comment in the first link I mentioned, no other confirmation of this, but it certainly makes sense. While removing post boxes in black (or poor) neighborhoods would have a small effect on rigging the election, selectively slowing down the mail in democratic leaning states could have a more substantial effect.

I'd go with the original. Applying for your ballot request "Now" is more important than accuracy.

Here's another relevant quote: "Multiple sources within the postal service told Motherboard they have personally witnessed the machines, which cost millions of dollars, being destroyed or thrown in the dumpster. USPS did not respond to a request for comment." https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pkyv4k/internal-usps-documents-outline-plans-to-hobble-mail-sorting There's a downloadable powerpoint at the end of the article, with the full extent of the "Equipment Reduction" plans. I've read that the presentation predates DeJoy's tenure, so apparently Trump has been working towards this for a long time, and bringing in DeJoy only sped things up.

So far, DeJoy has only promised to change his policies back to what they were. He hasn't yet agreed to undo any of the damage he’s done. US Democrats are still working on pressuring him into undoing the damage. But even if (or when) he gets pressured into doing that, it could easily take months to undo it, because sorting machines have been removed or dismantled, and these are incredibly huge and complex pieces of machinery, as you’ll see in this article, and in some of the videos within it: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/18/1970417/-some-background-videos-to-inform-your-thinking-about-the-USPS-sorting-machines It takes very little skill to pull machines apart, or break them, but it will probably take months of skilled labor to set them up and get them working reliably again. Especially if certain insiders under DeJoy’s supervision have already “misplaced” any of the parts, or are still intent on sabotaging or delaying the repair efforts. Any man devious enough to do all this sabotage in the first place is unworthy of being entrusted with the repair efforts, and that goes also for whatever new employees or administrators DeJoy brought in. That lack of trustworthiness could go well in your video, something along the lines of: “We’ve just been sabotaging all these sorting machines to rig the election, OF COURSE you can trust us to put them back together again for you!!” I think your video will need a few updates to keep it relevant, but overall it could still be a very helpful public service message.

After hearing the absolute ratfuckery of friends (US citizens) who are trying to register to vote by absentee ballot - with major ratfuckery from the USpostal service - go ahead and air the video.

Have it authorised by Abraham Lincoln as he in fact served as a postmaster 1833-36 https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/abraham-lincoln-harry-truman-postmasters.pdf

A lot of pressure from Democrats, and a few Republicas along with people protesting in front of his house (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/08/17/protesters-gather-outside-usps-postmaster-louis-dejoys-home/5599021002/) seems to have caused Dejoy to cave in. Today, this editorial was published in NYtimes which explained what really needs to happen to ensure that mail in ballots arrive on time https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/opinion/usps-vote-by-mail.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage. Chuck Schumer jumped on that and sent this tweet tonight "I just spoke to Postmaster DeJoy. I told him I want a specific, written document of exactly what he's rescinding and explicit confirmation all election mail will be treated as First Class. We cannot allow two things as sacred as the Post Office and our elections to be undermined." The key is treating the ballots as first class mail. We have to wait to see if he agrees to that, I don't trust any of Trump's people. You have two choices, release it now or wait and change the ending depending on what happens on Friday or Monday. If Dejoy agrees with Schumer, then you could change the ending of the Ad concluding that when citizens rise and demand change -in whatever way they are capable- change happens. My vote is to release the Ad tomorrow. It sounds really funny. Nice job as usual.

It's perhaps not the most important part of the vid, but I wish it stayed "shitfuckery". :-) This comment is authorised by the Department For Distracting From Key Issues By Trivial Bikesheds. More importantly: Release it! Afterall, who's to say USPS won't have three more somersaults in the next three weeks?

You've already done the hard yakker so if it's ready to drop (or you don't need to do too much to polish it) then let it rip asap imo. Why? Because Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to testify next Monday, Aug. 24, before the House Oversight Committee. That should keep the story going till at least mid next week. Dejoy's announcement of delaying the changes until after the election just adds to the controversy. A year from now no one will remember or care about the timing of the vid's release... and it will live on for posterity. Go for it mate!

Maybe a video on the News Media Bargaining code? https://australia.googleblog.com/2020/08/regulation-impact-on-YouTube-Community.html There's a whole lot of dodginess going on here.

Be careful: yes, the Postmaster General announced a "suspension" of changes. However, he did not reverse the changes that have happened - the already missing mailboxes and the already sidelined sorting machines. That may change but I suspect, as Trump has already done, once the immediate heat is subdued a bit and once he's done something else outlandish, things will continue as he planned - just without the visibility. So reminding people of what they lost already and apparently aren't getting back any time soon (i.e. in time to make a difference) is probably worthwhile. In addition, Trump day started saying that ballot drop boxes (the alternate to dropping a ballot in a mailbox) are not to be trusted, etc. - one more attack on the election process. So, it continues. The key point is that he is attacking people's faith in the system and also playing on their fears of voting in person, given the very real pandemic. This is important as he already lost the senior citizen demographic so getting them too scared or worried to vote is an important subset of what he's doing. Perhaps your "Brought to you" might need to be changed to "Brought to you by your State's Election Division" or whatever the right term is (varies a bit state by state I suspect) but usually comes under each State's Secretary of State if I recall correctly. Hopefully there are some points in this that are useful for you.

Oh bugga about the changes, but if possible updating would be good. You have some really good advice in there.

I wouldn't count anyone's mail eggs until they're… delivered. Our sh!twit Conman-in-Chief and his minions are known to say one thing, but do another. As Randy Rainbow entoned so perfectly, it's… "Distraction": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d02A9nmJxcM

I love the work, but sadly I think before you finish production the entire story will fall apart. The facts are even though Trump is a loud mouthed turd that wants to rig the election, he didn't appoint the head of the USPS. The head of the USPS is appointed by a Board of Governors at usps. As much as Trump wants to rig the election by fucking with the post office, he really doesn't have the power to make it happen. The equipment decommissioning was planned before DeJoy took over, the American media is owned by a bunch of neoliberal shills and the core of our shit lite party are truly puppets and together they push a neoliberal shill narrative sadly we have no honest press except local press which is being eaten by the big media companies. How is immigration down under BTW? :) PS DeJoy did give a shit ton of money to Trump, you would think that would have hurt him with the Democrats on the bipartisan Board of Governors.....but nah. No fucks given

Yes keep it update it’s relevance you worked hard on it already don’t trash it

the six states that count literally

Thanks for the concern.......About to go Postal 😬😝😳

Not bad .....information is power Yes my post from US is ridiculous ATM. Judgement Day? Judgement Dragged Out Month 😝😳🤣🤣🤣🙃🙃🙃🙃😬😬😬

Gold......as always, I look forward to the final product.....brought to you by Global Citizens who give a fuck about our Postal Service (and Democracy).......

Did we translate shit-fuckery to rat-fuckery because that is more American?

Sounds great - are you going to do a skeet visual gag, or was that one of the line you need to re-record?

But thanks ... I totally agree that we must fight in the US election even from Australia ... I seem to be more concerned with the US political game than Aus' politics particuoliticallarly as we seem to follow eagerly in it pathway.

"Rat fuckery" - awesome. Although the word at 0:08 says "skeet" father than sleet.

I agree with Dan Brown : " ... not deterred by rain, nor sleet " ... I stopped to wonder what that was ... In this draft it sounded like she said "skeet" rather than sleet! If this was meant to be an oddball joke about not being deterred by skeet shooters, it still doesn't quite work..

"Drive to a rich neighbourhood"? My low income American friends in California don't have cars or even bicycles, and rely on public transport or walking. So assuming those in 'poor' neighbourhoods have access to the private automobile is dodgy. Perhaps ridesharing would work if someone has a car...Brilliant audio though!

Thanks to you and your team Giordano...as an expat and dual citizen of Australia and US this is an important message. Apparently latest polls show Biden-Harris ticket ahead by double digits...which won't mean Jack Shit if people can't get their ballots in. Looking forward to the finished product so I can share the shit out of it. Thanks again.

I got clicked out before I could give the Kudos. That is the topic I had requested and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.. And I like all that you have so far.

Please - Please Kill the music in the background.

One of the big things being done is to deny a bail out for the post office which was hit in the profits by the coronavirus. They have bailed out many rich people and big companies. Also, prior to the virus the post office has been the o ly business that has to pre fund an employee retirement account for 75 years into the future. This happened in 2006, under Bush. No other company in America carries this burden.

A bit late in the game maybe. But how about some riff on the current situation in Belarus (formerly known as white russia) -- "make America's electorate whiter than ... )

A couple of comments from an American: 1 - ... not deterred by rain, nor sleet... In this draft it sounded like she said "skeet" rather than sleet! If this was meant to be an oddball joke about not being deterred by skeet shooters, it still doesn't quite work... 2 - One of the dubious "qualifications" you could mention about Louis DeJoy is that he and his wife together have between $30 - $75 MILLION in assets in USPS competitors, including XPO Logistics, J.B. Hunt, and UPS. 3 - Besides voting early (in person) or mailing in a ballot early, one of the best ways of avoiding "ratfuckery" in returning an absentee ballot is to drop off the ballot in person at a designated ballot collection place. Some states don't offer this, but many and perhaps most of them do. People should check their local regulations. Even if there are no ballot drop-off points, it may be possible to return a ballot through a private courier service. Thanks for doing this!! 😀 Authorized by Republicans for Autocracy through Postal Evasions & Voter Disenfranchisement (RAPE & VD)

Awesome. Can't wait for the visuals! The pain will be felt by everyone. I think your neighborhood reference is fine as the incidence of COVID-19, deaths in particular, is statistically higher with African Americans - which I think is the point you are making and if there are concerns about that reference, you might make the connection stronger to the fear of death for some people, etc.

As a mail handler and postal clerk of many years ago I can only say that our current pile of crap that runs this country is stupid in the extreme! I doubt if Mr. Trump has ever opened a letter; he lets his minions do that for him. Make the damn post office solvent instead of destroying it. I get mostly junk mail; make them three times as expensive as first class and take first class to at least a dollar; thirty cents per ounce after the first ounce and cut deliveries to five days a week. Convert the mail delivery trucks to electric and watch the profits for the USPS roll in; as it should have been for years.

Excellent!

Another good one! - I look forward to the video!

BTW, Brilliant as usual!

Authorised by the UP Postal department of selective delivery of mail-in votes

Authorized by the department of things that would be cheaper if we didn't hate brown people

Can't wait to see this! [Did I hear "skeet" instead of "sleet"?] That's a new voice I'm hearing, very Yankee. I'm wondering if Ellen, Zoë, or both will be using it…?

As an American, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your efforts to expose Trump's attempt to destroy Democracy here and by consequence abroad. This Ad sounded great, I look forward to watching it. All the best.

People worry that mailed in ballots may be delayed or lost, so it is important to note that people can request a mail-in ballot, fill it out carefully and then hand-deliver it to a regional electoral office. That can circumvent the "shut down the mail" tactics. (Bonus: Faster and easier than standing in line to vote!)

👍 Not so much authorised by: This announcement was funded by funds from the defunded USPS.

Sounds on the money with what I've been following. Not very are they over there. Thanks

Authorized By the Department of Rich Old White Men Preventing Minorities and the Poor from having their voices heard

Sounds excellent and in line with what I hear on the news, but I'm not an American so cannot comment on the detail.