Yesterday, the House voted to support the U.S. Postal Service and local representative, David McKinley, voted with the Democratic majority. From WV Metro News:

U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., was one of 26 Republicans that voted in support of a $25 billion bill for the U.S. Postal Service to maintain services during the general election and coronavirus pandemic.

The House of Representatives on Saturday passed the Delivering for America Act in a 257-150 vote. The legislation, introduced earlier this month, prohibits any changes that were not in place before this year.

The bill comes amid questions about the Postal Service and concerns about decisions that could affect the upcoming election. More Americans are expected to submit absentee ballots this fall because of the coronavirus.

In his press release explaining his vote, McKinley somehow figured out a way to attack Democrats even though he had just voted with them:

Supporting the mission of the postal service should not be a partisan issue, unfortunately Democrats have chosen to turn it into one.

I’m confused. Doesn't 231 Democrats along with 26 Republicans (including McKinley) make this bipartisan? Wait, I see, McKinley wants to rewrite history from 7 years ago:

“They must have a short memory. After all, the Obama Administration proposed reducing service to 5-day delivery, closing rural post offices, and altering the USPS retirement system, all of which I opposed.”

Sorry, Congressman, it's not their short memory; it's your playing with the facts of what actually happened. In 2013, most Democrats also opposed reduced service and that was why the cutbacks were never implemented nor was there a vote needed as there was this year. As the Washington Post explained in 2013:

The U.S. Postal Service backed away Wednesday from its plan to end Saturday mail delivery in August, bowing to bipartisan congressional opposition that the postmaster general said two months ago he had the authority to bypass.

If you read about the 2013 proposal, you will find that the opposition to the proposal was clearly bipartisan. McKinley, however, needs to show he’s still a good Republican and can attack Democrats with the best of them and so he rewrites history by falling back on the Republican and Ogden Newspaper default setting: “When in doubt (and nothing to say), attack Obama.”

(It’s also interesting that our congressman never mentions that he has been and continues to be a top recipient from the postal workers union which, of course, had nothing to do with how he voted.)

Capitalism for the working class; more socialism for the friends of Congress

Last June, in an interview with local WTOV, McKinley displayed his capitalist credentials when he complained about workers being "paid not to work."It didn't matter whether the job might be risky to the worker or his/her family, the employee should be forced to go back to work or lose his/her benefits. The government according to McKinley, by allowing employees to turn down employers, was "promoting fraud." Now those benefits have run-out and millions don't know how they will pay their mortgage/rent and feed their family. And what have we heard from McKinley?

In July, we learned about how Congress' PPP program passed along millions to Republican friends like Jim Justice's businesses and hundreds of thousands to the businesses founded by congressmen like David McKinley. Now McKinley and friends want to extend that welfare to the friends that help to keep them in power:

U.S. Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia recently cosponsored bipartisan legislation aimed at providing support to local newspapers throughout the country. Read more here: https://t.co/SHIn0SOqvf

— The Exponent Telegram (@ExponentWVNews) August 5, 2020

Here is how one of those newspapers describe the bill:

The Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan group in July, would offer three specific tax credits if passed — one for those who subscribe to their local paper, a five-year refundable credit for publishers to help them hire and retain journalists and a credit for small- and medium-sized businesses that choose to advertise in local publications.

U.S. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) is a member of the group that introduced the bill.

Am I the only one who sees the irony here? McKinley, who railed against workers getting a couple of hundred dollars a week but whose business received hundred of thousands (perhaps a million) in PPP loans, is now pushing legislation that will subsidize the businesses (like Ogden Newspapers) that keep him in power. And apparently, our local Ogden papers, whose editorial pages regularly attack Democrats, socialism, and "government handouts," see no problem with this legislation -- not surprisingly, they've said nothing.