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The Fourth Estate: The American Free Press
All students of American civics learn the three co-equal branches of the U.S. government that provide “Checks and Balances”: The Supreme Court, The Congress, and The Executive Branch with the President and his cabinets. A free and uncensored press from yellow tabloid journalism to the gold standards such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal constitute the Fourth Estate and it is often this fourth branch that exposes corruptions and scandals.
In a political election year such as 2020, the two parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, battle it out and the press report on the campaigns. Currently two phrases concocted by the press for me symbolize the contest. For the Biden-Harris ticket it is to restore “the America of our better angels”. For the Trump-Pense pair it is “Holding onto Power”. Both goals have their rationale and strategies. For the Democrat it is the inspirations of diversity, inclusiveness, and aspiration of a more perfect union. For the Republicans, it boils down to simple survival. In a two party state, the losing, particularly if it is the governing, party faces and fears about possible reprisals. Thus it is survival at all costs. In the Trump case, it has come down to the admitted fact of trying to sabotage the US Postal Service by destroying mail sorting equipments and cutting staff of the USPS in the belief that (statistically) Democrats are three time more likely to vote by mail than Republicans. Thus it is a sneaky way of suppressing the Democratic vote never mind the collateral damages of delayed delivery of medicine and payment checks. This is a developing scandal. Only less than 80 days to election!
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