BloggeRhythms

Whatever else might be said about Trump, there’s absolutely no doubt that his election has turned traditional experts, pundits and politicians themselves into a mass of shocked, confused and rudderless individuals. Regardless of their political party memberships or affiliations. 

Throughput the presidential campaign, Trump was treated by all other contenders, be they Republican, Democrats, Independent or anything else, as an insignificant outsider blowhard who would soon fade away. 

However, not only didn’t the voting public not see it that way, after those voters put him in office Trump’s now suddenly recognized as one truly worthy of the job itself. To the extent that overall public opinion has now changed to the extremely positive.  

Yesterday, Steve Liesman @cnbc.com, noted the surge in optimism Trump's brought toward the nation’s economy and its stock market has not been seen in years. 

According to a CNBC All-America Economic Survey for the fourth quarter, the percentage of Americans believing the economy will get better in the next year jumped “an unprecedented 17 points to 42 percent," compared with results before the election.

Powered by Republicans and Independents reversing their outlooks, only 15 percent previously saying said the economy would improve in the next year, they are now strongly optimistic. 74 percent of Republicans now believe there will be an economic upswing. Among independents, optimism doubled while only 16 percent of Democrats think the economy will improve. 

Overall, it’s the highest level in optimism since Obama was first elected in 2008.

Aside from the growing positive trend, high-profile individuals are falling in line as well. 

Even outspoken, irrational, self-serving Mark Cuban, seems to be seeking a way to mend fences after demeaning Trump during the presidential race.

A strong Clinton supporter, Cuban previously said Trump had the potential to drag down the stock market and wasn't fit to be president.

However, on Wednesday Cuban said: “it's probably best to wait until Donald Trump takes the Oval Office before judging him, calling the president-elect America's "number one draft pick." 

On CNBC's "Fast Money Halftime Report, he also said: “He's who we put our hopes and dream with. Now it is easier because we haven't played a game yet. No reason to rush to judgment or come to any conclusions now. Let's see what happens starting January 21st and we'll go from there. I hope he's a superstar." 

Regardless of what public figures like Cuban think, Trump's moving ahead with preparations for major changes in areas affecting the nation’s future direction. 

Along those lines, the Associated Press reports @foxnews.com, that the transition team is “asking Energy Department employees for information about the agency's operations and personnel, including a list of employees and contractors who attended international meetings on climate change over the past five years.”

A detailed questionnaire seeks all political appointees and senior executives, asking employees to offer their opinions on who "owns" the department's clean energy mission and other policy goals. 

Asking for a "full accounting of DOE liabilities associated with any loan or loan guarantee programs," the team also wants a status report on the department's recent issue of $4.5 billion in loan guarantees for electric vehicles.

The Energy Department’s annual budget is $32 billion, yet the bulk of its nearly 100,000 workforce is supplied by private contractors. The agency has 14,000 government employees.

As for Obama and his worldview on energy and climate policies, during his first term, he allotted more than $90 billion in stimulus money “to boost the clean energy industry to help shift the country away from foreign oil and to create jobs.”

That revelation caused a reader, timothyspry, to comment: “The article states: "Obama allotted more than $90 billion in stimulus money to boost the clean energy industry to help shift the country away from foreign oil and to create jobs."

“Is that why Obama restricted all drilling for oil on Federal lands. That's a funny way to shift from foreign oil!” 

And that reality unto itself is why Trump has made the Energy Department focus and goals a primary issue for his first 100 days in office, Because he’s the one who’ll fulfill Obama’s broken promises regarding development of the nation’s oil resources and the jobs created as a result. 

And then, like the proverbial bad penny, AlGore showed up in the news again. 

This time Rebecca Ford @hollywoodreporter.com, offered additional information about January’s Sundance Film Festival, where Gore will introduce a follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth, his documentary about the world’s climate crisis. 

Gore stated Thursday that: “Now more than ever we must rededicate ourselves to solving the climate crisis. But we have reason to be hopeful; the solutions to the crisis are at hand. I’m deeply honored and grateful that Paramount Pictures and Participant Media have once again taken on the task of bringing the critical story of the climate crisis to the world." 

In this case, while Gore’s predictions about global-warming have never materialized, and undoubtedly cannot, his proposing that “we have reason to be hopeful, the solutions to the crisis are at hand,” is certainly quite accurate. 

This morning, Alex Sosnowski , AccuWeather senior meteorologist reports 
@accuweather.com that “around the middle of December, an even colder blast of air will follow this week's frigid conditions over the central and eastern U.S.” 

It’s expected that the next major push of arctic air will follow a series of snowstorms over part of the Northern states where temperatures from the northern and central Plains to much of the Midwest are likely to be 5 to 20 degrees lower then at present. 

At the same time, temperature highs from the plains of Montana to portions of North Dakota and northern Minnesota may be at or slightly below zero for one or more days during the first part of next week. For Chicago, present highs in the 20s and lower 30s will be replaced by highs in the teens by the middle of next week. 

When the wind is factored in: “AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will plunge to dangerous levels over the North Central states. A substantial temperature dip is likely across the interior South and Appalachians during the latter part of next week.” 

All of which raises a different kind of question regarding the future, this one of a personal nature. Because actual weather results have continually disproven AlGore’s global-warming predictions for 40 years now. And, added to that, the present overall cooling trend continually produces unusually frigid winter weather. So, instead of dwelling on Gore’s farcical climate theories, one has to wonder if he’ll actually show up at Sundance to make himself look like a blithering fool again. That's the real unknown.     

And yet, he’s not alone in his Don Quixote-like quest to fight something that doesn’t exist. 

Michael Bastasch reported @dailycaller.com, that Thursday morning: “A small group of global warming activists protesting oil and gas drilling outside the Department of Interior office in Colorado Thursday morning were met with bitter cold weather and snow.”

Ironically, the activists stood in about 4 inches of snow with temperatures hovering in the 20’s. The official low temperature was negative 10 degrees early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. 

While protesters marched against “fracking,” after two measures to restrict the drilling technique failed to make November’s ballot, the pro-fracking Western Energy Alliance took photos of the activists trying to stay warm. 

On that subject, global-warming protests held in freezing weather are a phenomenon actually called the “Gore effect.” According to the article the identity was “coined after a global warming rally held by former Vice President Al Gore in 2004 was met with frigid weather. A similar rally held by Gore in 2006 in Australia was also hit by cold weather.” 

Yale too, has faced similar conditions when anti-fossil fuel campaigners postponed a protest in early 2015 due to “unfavorable weather conditions and other logistical issues.” New Haven witnessed a negative 9 degrees when the event was canceled. 

But being consistently wrong isn’t so strange for Yale students at all. Both Clinton’s are graduates. 

That's it for today folks. 

Adios