{"podcast":{"title":"Stubborn Things","slug":"stubborn-things-7595522","podcast_index_feed_id":7595522,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/stubborn-things/","website_url":"https://stubborn-things.captivate.fm","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/75eceb28-1119-43a7-b2cd-f53e4d99f79c/Stubborn-Things-logo.png","author":"AEI Podcasts","episode_count":19,"summary":"John Adams famously said: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.\" In this era of knee-jerk partisanship and ideological posturing, Adams's warning is as important as ever. Tune in every other week as AEI's Jay Cost and Sean Trende draw on their wide-ranging base of knowledge and stubborn commitment to the evidence to understand what is happening in the world of American politics.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-18T02:22:01.948704+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/stubborn-things-7595522"},"episode":{"title":"Can Talarico Turn Texas Blue?","slug":"can-talarico-turn-texas-blue","published_at":"2026-03-10T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/stubborn-things-7595522/can-talarico-turn-texas-blue","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/stubborn-things-7595522","url":"https://stubborn-things.captivate.fm","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/19f1b021-4723-425e-9e03-7a301409786a.mp3","summary":"This week, Jay and Sean tackle the results of the Senate primary in Texas. They discuss James Talarico’s victory in the Democratic primary and the religious dimension of Talarico’s candidacy. They also assess the strengths and weaknesses of Talarico’s two potential GOP opponents, incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who will face each other in a runoff in May, as well as how Texas demographics may play in the general election. Plus, Jay and Sean dip into the mailbag and answer a listener question about the books that have influenced them. Take a listen and let us know what you think! Remember to rate and follow Stubborn Things and stay up to date by following us on X @aei_STpodcast . Comments? Suggestions? Email us at StubbornThings@aei.org . Show notes: Sean’s Recommendations: The Almanac of American Politics Electoral Realignments , by David Mayhew The Emerging Democratic Majority , by John Judis and Ruy Teixeira Jay’s Recommendations: Conjectures and Refutations , by Karl Popper Micromotives and Macrobehavior , by Thomas Schelling Reflections on the Revolution in France , by Edmund Burke","meta_description":"This week, Jay and Sean tackle the results of the Senate primary in Texas. They discuss James Talarico’s victory in the Democratic primary and the religio…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3622,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/stubborn-things-7595522/episodes/can-talarico-turn-texas-blue/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/stubborn-things-7595522/can-talarico-turn-texas-blue.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}