The Liberal Patriot with Ruy Teixeira

<p>On this week’s episode of The Liberal Patriot Podcast, I talk with geologist and energy expert <a target="_blank" href="https://www.beg.utexas.edu/people/scott-tinker"><strong>Scott Tinker</strong></a> about why affordable, reliable energy is the foundation of human progress. We examine energy poverty, the limits of renewables, and why many climate policies collide with physics, economics, and lived reality—especially for the world’s poorest people.</p><p>From 2000-2024, Tinker was Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology and State Geologist of Texas. He is currently CEO of Tinker Energy Associates and executive producer and host of PBS <a target="_blank" href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbs.org%2Fshow%2Fenergy-switch%2F&#38;data=05%7C02%7Ccclayton%40texaspolicy.com%7C964ed52d53234b6e46a208dc42c22114%7Ca09e2cb6dde84dd8ae3df1e84f57dd50%7C0%7C0%7C638458648757300217%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&#38;sdata=knBCJLP7uzTjuxJ0P%2BEzUuV7HLONbIvqbN8ZDSPY6ik%3D&#38;reserved=0"><strong><em>Energy Switch</em></strong></a>, an energy and climate talk series appearing in over 100 million households nationwide.</p><p>Please listen in on a fantastic discussion and subscribe to the TLP Podcast if you don’t already. </p><p><em>A transcript is available on the </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/a346cd22-60f2-480f-b5e4-dcc5f1245665"><em>website </em></a><em>at the top of page</em>.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Liberal Patriot at <a href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week, I speak with my AEI colleague, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aei.org/profile/sally-satel/"><strong>Sally Satel</strong></a>, a practicing psychiatrist and lecturer at the Yale University School of Medicine, about the rapid ideological transformation inside American medicine. Satel explains how medical associations shifted from clinical excellence toward activist missions, how flawed research, such as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/10/27/the-data-hinted-at-racism-among-white-doctors-then-scholars-looked-again">now-debunked study</a> claiming that black infant mortality could be halved if more black doctors cared for black newborns, shaped public debate, and how public-health leaders undermined public trust during the Covid pandemic.</p><p>Please listen in on a great discussion or read the transcript <a target="_blank" href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/607b5fff-a9c0-4668-a46f-6afeece21177">here</a> on our website, available at the top of the page. </p><p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Liberal Patriot at <a href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe</a>

<p>What do voters <em>actually</em> want—and why do so many politicians keep getting it wrong? This week I talk with the great <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/simon_bazelon"><strong>Simon Bazelon</strong></a> about the real data behind voter shifts, why popular narratives miss the mark, and what a winning path forward for Democrats really looks like.</p><p>Simon is the lead author of a terrific new report, “<a target="_blank" href="https://decidingtowin.org"><strong>Deciding to Win: Toward a Common Sense Renewal of the Democratic Party</strong></a>.” This report, released by our friends at <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/TheWelcomeTeam">Welcome</a>, is a <em>must</em> read for anyone involved in Democratic politics:</p><p>In order to take back Congress and the presidency, Democrats need to understand the political and strategic landscape we face. <em>Deciding to Win</em> aims to provide the most comprehensive account to date of why Democrats lost and what our party needs to do to win again. We draw on thousands of election results, hundreds of public polls and academic papers, dozens of case studies, and surveys of more than 500,000 voters we conducted since the 2024 election. <em>Deciding to Win</em> argues that since 2012, highly educated staffers, donors, advocacy groups, pundits, and elected officials have reshaped the Democratic Party’s agenda, decreasing our party’s focus on the economic issues that are the top concerns of the American people. These same forces have pushed our party to adopt unpopular positions on a number of issues that are important to voters, including immigration and public safety. To win again, Democrats need to listen more to voters and less to out-of-touch donors, detached party elites, and Democratic politicians who consistently underperform the top of the ticket.</p><p> Please check out Simon’s report and listen in on the discussion!</p><p><em>A </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/b1eae4f2-7475-46c0-96bc-61e5cc37e9b5"><em>transcript</em></a><em> of this podcast is available on our website</em>. </p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Liberal Patriot at <a href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe</a>

<p>Why <em>did </em>America stop building? My AEI colleague <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aei.org/profile/james-pethokoukis/"><strong>James Pethokoukis</strong></a> joins the podcast this week to explain how cultural pessimism, bad policy, and bipartisan fear of disruption stalled progress in strengthening America’s economy. From nukes to AI, we explore what went wrong—and how to fix it.</p><p>Please listen in on the discussion and check out James’s excellent 2023 book, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aei.org/research-products/book/the-conservative-futurist/"><strong><em>The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised</em></strong></a>.</p><p><em>A </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/da4ee877-1bfa-4611-9acb-2b09fb24cffe"><em>transcript</em></a><em> of this podcast is available on our website.</em></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Liberal Patriot at <a href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week, I’m thrilled to welcome Massachusetts Fourth District <a target="_blank" href="https://auchincloss.house.gov/about?1"><strong>Representative Jake Auchincloss</strong></a> to the podcast. Congressman Auchincloss is serving his third term in office and currently works on the House Committee on Energy & Commerce with a particular focus on issues including healthcare, clean energy, gun violence, and a strong middle class. From his bio:</p><p>Jake was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a surgeon and a scientist. They showed him the value of curiosity and hard work. From the moment he could read, Jake loved American history.</p><p>After graduating from Harvard College, Jake joined the Marines. He commanded infantry in Afghanistan and special operations in Panama.</p><p>Upon returning home, Jake continued his service as a three-term city councilor in Newton. While working at City Hall on nights and weekends, Jake built a career in business, running product development at both a Fortune 100 insurance company and a cybersecurity startup. He has degrees in economics and finance from Harvard University and MIT Sloan.</p><p>Today, Jake lives in Newton with his wife, Michelle, and their children, Teddy, Grace, and Audrey (along with their Labrador Retriever, Donut).</p><p>After a decade defined by division and distrust in politics, Congressman Auchincloss believes America is ready to rebuild the country and civic life. We talk about post-Trump politics, restoring confidence in democracy, and what it takes to create a pragmatic, forward-looking center in American life.</p><p>Please listen in on or watch a wonderful discussion! </p><p><em>A </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/9c5825c4-c46b-43b1-bc7c-a2e80094dff9"><em>transcript</em></a><em> of this podcast is available on the post page on our website.</em></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Liberal Patriot at <a href="https://www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.liberalpatriot.com/subscribe</a>