Hidden between the infighting and calls for deplatforming, Turning Point USA's America Fest showcased quite a few notable speakers whose messages went largely unnoticed. Their speeches weren’t as salacious as others, but instead offered hope and support to the conservative movement.
One such speech came from NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is best known for his oppositional stance toward the Biden administration’s handling of Covid-19. He famously opposed the draconian lockdown procedures and was not shy about sharing his professional opinion on X.
So it came as no surprise that many in the conservative movement were ecstatic when President Trump nominated Bhattacharya to the NIH position. A Stanford graduate and tenured professor living in one of the bluest and most restrictive states during the Covid era, Bhattacharya gained significant respect from the MAGA and MAHA movements for his willingness to speak openly about his “controversial” positions on virus spread and immunity.
Bhattacharya spoke directly about this courage at America Fest. He urged the young audience, many of whom were high school and college students, to do the same – be brave.
As noted in previous articles, much of academia is dominated by liberal – if not progressive – ideologies. A recent study confirms this.
A large-scale empirical study by Mitchell Langbert and Sean Stevens examined voter-registration and political-contribution data for more than 12,000 faculty members across 116 flagship public universities in the United States. Using publicly available voter-registration records rather than self-reported surveys, the researchers found that Democratic registrants outnumber Republicans across nearly every academic discipline.
The imbalance was most pronounced in the humanities and social sciences, where Democrat-to-Republican ratios frequently reached double digits, while the natural sciences showed a smaller – yet still consistent – Democratic skew. In psychology, specifically, faculty registration patterns reflected a Democrat-to-Republican ratio of approximately 11.5:1 at flagship institutions.
According to the study, contribution data mirror these findings, with faculty donations overwhelmingly favoring Democratic candidates, reinforcing that the pattern is not incidental or isolated to voter registration alone.
Bhattacharya’s message is profoundly important: we need more of us. Not only do we need more conservatives in these critical fields – fields that serve, heal, and influence the masses – but we need them to speak up. To not be afraid to share their values.
Conservatives have been bullied into submission, and much of that bullying is carried out through cancel culture. The fear of losing one’s livelihood will make almost anyone keep their mouth shut. It is a cruel tactic used by major institutions to preserve a leftist narrative. Not only is this unethical, it is emotional blackmail. Using fear to keep people in bondage is demonic.
The most common question I get from fellow conservatives is how I stay brave while speaking out unapologetically about my values. The answer is simple: I know who our God is, and I know that when we boldly proclaim our faith and the values that honor Him, all things work for good.
Bhattacharya wants us to walk in that same energy – to walk as if God is in your corner. To speak with the authority given to you by Him. And not only to be brave, but to do what our First Lady calls all of us to do: be best.
Soad Tabrizi is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice based in Orange County, CA (www.soadtabrizi.com). Soad is also the founder of www.ConservativeCounselors.com.
