Scrape the mall. “Cheers” star John Ratzenberger thinks we should buy Christmas presents at the post office.
When indie rock musician Tim Kasher reached out to Ratzenberger, who played know-it-all postman Cliff Clavin on the beloved sitcom of the 1980s, on the Cameo video card service, the actor came up with a proposal.
“The post office is a bit of a pickle at the moment,” Ratzenberger said. “That I had an idea: Why not all your Christmas shopping early in the post office store?”
Kasher asked America’s favorite postal worker to “make a plea for the American people to save the post office” and was surprised to see Ratzenberger respond.
“How many times will Aunt Tilly wear that hat?” Ratzenberger quipped about bad holiday presents. “Once. Twice. But how many times will she use those stamps?”
Ratzenberger’s suggestion comes amid “chaos and confusion” surrounding the U.S. Postal Service as the nation rapidly approaches the November presidential election.
The post office has to deal with two-fold obstacles due to the crisis in coronavirus: staff shortages and a drastic drop in letter mail, followed by a pivot towards mail-in-votes. But Louis DeJoy, Republican Party fundraiser turned postmaster general, is hoarded in policies that have delayed mail.
The U.S. Postal Service, like several lawmakers, has warned states that ballots issued by mail may not arrive on time to count – even if they are on time by mail. DeJoy is set to testify before the Senate on Friday about the potential for voter oppression.
On Monday, the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention, sen. Bernie Sanders the problem.
“Basically, this election is about preserving our democracy,” Sanders said. “It simply came to our notice then. He tried to persuade people to vote, the U.S. Postal Service said. ”
Americans began buying stamps in April, hoping to save the post office. ‘And maybe Ratzenberger knows what he’s talking about: the Cliff Clavin character, it turns out, was originally written as a security guard.
Two days before the series started shooting, that changed. A postal worker, the producers thought, would be more knowledgeable.
