The Clampetts & J.R. Ewing Go to Washington: Big Oil Meets Venezuelan Reality

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Picture it: Tommy Norris, the Clampetts, and J.R. Ewing all strolling into Washington as Big Oil’s finest gather with the president to talk Venezuela. As entertaining as that image is, the reality was far less glamorous—and far more troubling.
In this episode, Chris breaks down the tense, lukewarm reception oil executives gave the president’s push to invest billions in Venezuelan oil. Promises of “security guarantees” raise a serious question: should U.S. taxpayers—and even U.S. troops—be on the hook to protect corporate oil investments in one of the most unstable countries on earth?
With assets previously seized, billions written off, sanctions still looming, and the State Department warning Americans to get out of Venezuela immediately, Big Oil isn’t buying the pitch. Exxon flatly called Venezuela “uninvestable,” and behind closed doors, executives were likely relieved when the White House walked that back.
Chris also unpacks the contradictions, the fact-free tangents, and the dangerous idea that past losses should simply be forgotten in the hope of future profits—all while ignoring the real technical, legal, and geopolitical barriers to Venezuelan oil production.
Let companies risk their own money if they want. But taxpayers and the military? Absolutely not.