JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
Jo appreciates your support to help her keep doing what she does. This blog is funded by donations. Thanks!
Follow Jo's Tweets To report "lost" comments or defamatory and offensive remarks, email the moderators at: support.jonova AT proton.me
Statistics
Apart from being one of the world’s ugliest buildings, the Obama Presidential Center is far worse.
The following is From The Capitalist https://thecapitalistmag.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-the-obama-center?
The Obama nightmare is far from over. It might actually just be beginning.
130
Thankfully, presidential influence comes and goes with the political winds, and they rarely have staying power. The ‘Reagan Revolution’ had staying power and influenced multiple generations of Republicans (1980-2016). Bill Clinton’s ‘triangulation strategy’ had staying power and influenced multiple generations of Democrats (1992-2016). But I’m not sure Obamism does.
For all the kvetching American conservatives did about Obama being a collectivist and an Islamist sympathizer, he really wasn’t. His rhetoric may have been those things, but he governed like an institutionalist whose primary objective was to shore up and expand the power of permanent institutional Washington (the blob). All his ‘hope and change’ rhetoric was window-dressing.
Now, the rising power in the Democratic party is the young socialist know-nothings who want government to be their daddy, and like two-year olds, they want it RIGHT NOW or they will throw a tantrum. They despise Obama for being an incrementalist, they despise Bill Clinton for selling out the revolution with his moderate triangulation strategy, and they regard every conservative as a Kulak (at best) who needs to be sent to the gulags and reeducated the moment they seize power or a Nazi (at worst) who needs to executed immediately and thrown in an unmarked mass grave. Moderately sane Clintonians and Obamists will meet the same fate as the Conservative Kulaks.
Given that reality, I don’t expect the Obama center will have much influence in the future. He’ll be written out of history as no different than the dead old white men who preceded him and failed to embrace the revolution.
00
Dennis Shanahan in the Australian “PM’s ‘shag’ Kylie claims crass and beneath his office Anthony Albanese’s lewd comments about Kylie Minogue were arrogant, Donald Trump-like vulgarity ”
Shanahan seems incapable of criticizing Albanese without a moral equivalenace with Trump. What Trump has been reported as saying was an alleged secret and inadmissable recording at a men’s urinal, about as private as anything could be, even if it were true and with the adjacent man both prompting and recording. This is utterly improper and in court illegal. Most importantly Trump was not head of state nor speaking publicly on the record. But it hardly matters when you attack someone’s character.
The embedded bias by many senior Australian reporters including International reporter Cameron Stewart is amazing. At least Stewart does not have his usual front page daily story of how Trump is a complete failure with Iran.
Anyone who suggests the Murdoch paper has a pro Trump bias could not be more wrong. Clearly to be invited to a media party in Washington, you have to slag Trump, even today.
And if you want crass, the stories of ex-PM Bob Hawke’s crudity are endless. But any chance to drag down Trump on the front page is political gold. When you cannot beat someone with real news, just make it up.
It’s the complete opposite of factual reporting and in itself a defence of Alabanese’s extraordinarily and unprecendented crass very public comment as Prime Minister. Even Bob Hawke would never have said such a thing publicly. No rational politician would. Where’s the feminist outrage?
You have to wonder when the attack will switch to Vance?
200
Dennis Shanahan suffers from TDS, along with a lot of other journalists at the Australian.
Fortunately Dr Trump has a treatment plan.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1741583737186027/?hpir=1
20
“You have to wonder when the attack will switch to Vance?”
It will once the punters realize he will run for POTUS in ’28.
40
Vance is a lot harder to attack. His rags to riches story gives him legit working class street cred, and he is a lot more circumspect and polished in his public speech. He’s a little bit more sharp-tongued than most politicians, and much more sharp-elbowed when dealing with the press, but he’s not a gigantic outlier like Trump is.
But that may be his downfall. He’s not as easy to attack as Trump because he is nowhere near as interesting as Trump. Trump is constantly saying wild and crazy things in order to dominate the attention economy, and counts on the sheer volume of his outrageousness to ‘flood the zone’ and prevent any one thing from hurting him too much. Vance isn’t wired that way. Like most politicians, he’s occasionally interesting but mostly boring. He doesn’t have Trump’s superpower.
20
Vance has a new book out and they have been serialising excerpts. He seems quite thoughtful.
I guess it depends of course on whether he gets nominatein the first place but also who he might face.
I can think of no credible democratic contender at all, let alone one that might win the Presidency
00
Re the Ukraine situation.
In the Sun Herald of Sunday July 26, 2026 on page 14 is an article by Peter Fitzsimons entitled ” Putin is losing the Ukraine war, but could take us down with him” (paywalled):
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/putin-is-losing-the-ukraine-war-but-if-he-goes-down-he-could-take-us-all-with-him-20260702-p60bx0.html
My opinion is that his first word in his title should be “Zelensky”, and the following two links show why.
Firstly Mercouris’s post of July 4, entitled:
” Konstantinovka Falls Final Donbas Battle Begins; Putin Says Kharkov Sumy Are Russian; Drone War Fail ”
goes for 87 minutes, and his opinion, even if you consider him a Russian shill, is worth hearing so you can check his accuracy/reliability with his statement about the importance and fall of his subject town. His is quite a strategic comment.
https://rumble.com/v7c8v6q-konstantinovka-falls-final-donbas-battle-begins-putin-says-kharkov-sumy-are.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp_a
Secondly, this shorter, 14 minute clip from “Military Summary” has a shorter horizon being a report of actions of both sides in the previous 12 hours (mainly).
” KONSTANTINOVKA HAS FALLEN🎯 389 Ukrainian Drones Downed in Massive Failed Strike💥❌ MS 2026.07.04 ”
https://rumble.com/v7c8g76-konstantinovka-has-fallen-389-ukrainian-drones-downed-in-massive-failed-str.html?e9s=rel_v3_rs
…
PS Jo, “Preview” worked for me with this this morning. Cheers, Dave B
…
20