Editorial Shift -- December 1, 2016

Disclaimer: I don't know yet, but it's possible there will be an editorial shift with regard to the MDW blog.

I have long forgotten the facts, but it's my feeling that I was generally optimistic when Barack Obama won in 2008, beating John McCain. I distinctly remember thinking that McCain was incredibly lackluster in his campaigning. Had I voted, I would have voted for McCain, but I was not emotionally involved. I do recall thinking that it was quite remarkable that the US had elected its first African-American president, and had done so by a wide margin. I don't remember when I first started having second thoughts, but I do remember that the Harvard professor-law enforcement-beer summit was not a positive omen. That omen preceded Tyrone, another bad omen. And then, of course, it culminated in #BlackLivesMatter.

From 2005 to 2007, I was generally depressed. Actually I was generally depressed between 2002 and 2007 but my frequent trips to Yorkshire, England, between 2002 and 2004 helped immensely. But after 2004, I lost all interest in my work.

The two granddaughters made all the difference in the world. [Sophia, the third granddaughter and the most recent, showed up in 2014 or thereabouts.]

Somewhere after his first two years in office, and certainly by the time of his re-election, I had become quite unhappy with President Obama. I did not see much good news, and if there was any good news, it seemed I found a cynical component to offset any good component. There was one exception: I was inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, and when there was bad news about the Bakken or the oil and gas sector in general, I put on my oily-stained glasses before reading.

With the election of Donald Trump that has all changed. Or at least it feels like it has all changed. Right after the election, US consumer confidence jumped to a 9-year high; the stock market rallied; and, "Morning Joe" became more tolerable. In other words, I was not the only one who felt a great weight of despair had been lifted off my emotional shoulders.

If that mood continues, it is very likely that an editorial shift with regard to the MDW blog will occur. I don't know if that will happen, but I 'm just thinking out loud.

As one example, the DAPL issue. Before the election, I would go through the seven stages of grief every time I saw it mentioned. I ignored it the best I could. Now that Trump has won, I actually google DAPL looking for any updates I can find. I can't wait to read about it. I don't even care how it turns out; I just know that someone in Washington cares.

Another example: the three-state recount. Initially I was upset, but now I'm enjoying it. I even have a page devoted to it. Hillary has aligned herself with a nut and that will make it easier for folks to move on.

Another example: jobs. I will still remain cynical about the weekly jobs numbers but I am eager to see how the reporting changes after Trump gets sworn in.

And finally, all the articles about all the college kids crying over the election no longer bother me any more either. Cupcakes.