Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Is Trump correct that Canada is destined to be America’s 51st state?  Or is there simply too much distinction between Canada and the United States to collapse us both into one homogenous mess?  If conservatives in the U.S. are trying to conserve the American revolution, what are Canadian conservatives hoping to conserve?  How might these two liberty-loving nations help each other better understand each other through comparison?  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Shawn Whatley to make sense of it all.

About Shawn Whatley

Shawn Whatley hosts Concepts with Shawn Whatley...

Few forerunners of the modern conservative movement are as important, little known, and underappreciated as Frank Meyer.  Meyer possessed the IT factor that made women want him and men want to be associated with him.  He used that in his early years to advance Marxism in England—building an impressive Marxist organization that had the attention of UK’s government, dating the Prime Minister’s daughter while calling for the violent overthrow of the Prime Minister’s government, and becoming a national celebrity as the nation debated whether he should be exiled.  But later in life, when he turned to the Righ...

Some Americans warn Trump's antics in this second term are flirting with fascism while others say that's totally whacked. So which is it? Is Trump a fascist or nothing of the kind? Join our livestream as our panelists engage over the topic.

Panelists include: Josh Lewis (host), Mike Taylor, Blake Fischer, John Giokaris, Steve Phelps, and Kent Straith

Steven Hayward has been involved in so many conservative institutions and organizations it may be simpler to list where he hasn’t left a mark.  This conservative man-about-town joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis as they unravel what it means to be a conservative, how Straussians might make peace with Burke, and why Josh shouldn’t be so critical of the Trump administration.

About Steven Hayward

Steven F. Hayward is a fellow of the Public Law and Policy Program at Berkeley Law and visiting professor in School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University.

The MAGA coalition is comprised of a wide spectrum whose sole unifying idea is Trump himself. But what happens when that precarious foundation begins to fray? Have recent events shown cracks in the MAGA world that could quickly fracture, or is this all a tempest in a teapot? Join Saving Elephant panelists during our livestream to make sense of it all.

Panelists include: Josh Lewis (host), Ryan Rogers, Destry Edwards, Scott Howard, and Christopher Chesny

Younger Americans—regardless of their political affiliations—are increasingly supportive focusing on environmental and conservation issues.  But while there may be renewed unity on recognizing the importance of such issues, the policies advocated by the Left and Right continue to differ.  The American Conservation Coalition (ACC) is a group of young Americans on the political Right standing up for action over activism in their approach to environmental reform.  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is ACC’s COO, Stephen Perkins, to discuss how economic prosperity and a clean environment don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive, how younger Americans d...

On July 6 Saving Elephants assembled an august team of commentators to commemorate the advent of the United States turning the big 2-4-9!  With only one year to go until the nation is 250 years old, the group reflects on the foundational ideas of America, whether she's succeed or failed at those aspirations, and what the future holds for this most exceptional of nations.

Meet the panelists:

Lura Forcum

Lura Forcum leads the Independent Center, the nation’s go-to organization for information, research, and engagement with independent voters, repres...

The housing market today is in an increasingly unsustainable paradox: younger Americans need houses to be more affordable so that they can become homeowners.  Meanwhile, homeowners and the entire U.S. economy need houses to rise in price to make them a secure and profitable investment.  Thus, we are trapped between making homeownership increasingly difficult or sinking the economy.  Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by president of Strong Towns Chuck Marohn to discuss his latest book: Escaping the Housing Trap.

About Chuck Marohn

From strongtowns.org

Charles Marohn (known as “...

What if the surest way to reduce the harmful effects of self-serving politicians in Washington D.C. is to have more of them?  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Jeff Mayhugh to explain how the artificial “cap” the nation put on the number of representatives in the U.S. House almost a century ago has made government less representative and responsive.  Returning to the Founding Father’s understanding of how people might best be represented by their leaders will require a lot of hard work, but it has the potential to benefit all Americans all across the political divide.<...

What if the real division in America isn’t between Republicans and Democrats, Red States vs Blue States, or liberals and conservatives but between the American people and a small group of the political elite whose function is to divide the rest of us?  Tony Woodlief joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to discuss how we may not be as divided as we think and how federalism holds the solution to many of the policy battles of the moment.

About Tony Woodlief

Excerpts from Tony’s bio in the State Policy Network and on his...

The 2024 presidential election witnessed a historic number of independent voters—more independents voted than Democrats and they came close to surpassing Republicans.  It would seem that now is the time for those who are dissatisfied with both parties to dismantle the two-party duopoly of American government.  And yet, the Republican and Democratic parties collectively control all branches of governments at all levels.  Why is that?  What would it mean for Americans to embrace an “independent” politics and how likely is that to occur?  What do independent voters actually want?  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is president of the Independent...

Former president Chester A. Arthur is probably best remembered for his mutton chops and as a trivia question.  But he did play a surprising role as a reformer when the nation was in the grips of political corruption.  And the story of how he found the courage to do so holds some lessons for how we might interact with political power today in hopes of a better tomorrow.

Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Destry Edwards to discuss his new documentary Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia Sand, and how a single citizen can...

In this era of information overload it’s easy to join the ranks of the too online, filtering our every thought through the latest thing Trump tweeted or how the resistance is reacting. And it’s just as easy to check out entirely and pretend like the news doesn’t matter or, if it does, it’ll have to be someone else’s problem for now. Are there healthier ways to approach the news? How can we maintain sanity in a seemingly endless supply of hot takes and outrage-of-the-moments?

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by A...

James Burnham was one of the most significant intellectual influences on the conservative movement of the twentieth century.  As an anti-Communist hardliner, his views on dealing with the Soviet menace head on ultimately shaped US foreign policy in the Reagan administration.  And his work at William F. Buckley’s National Review gave the fledgling magazine its foreign policy heft.

Throughout his long public career, there emerged two James Burnhams: one who provided the early scaffolding to neoconservative ideas and the other who inspired paleoconservatives.  Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by history professor David Byrne...

In his perpetual quest to mildly trigger his Straussian pals, Josh invites fellow Millennial and Burkean conservative Greg Collins on to discuss how Leo Strauss misconstrued Edmund Burke’s political views and lasting impact.  Also discussed are Burke’s complex views on natural rights, manners, reform, revolution, social contract theory, classical liberalism, and Rousseau.  Fair warning, dear listener, this one gets nerdy in a hurry!

About Greg Collins

From The Kirk Center

Dr. Gregory Collins is one of the most celebrated Burke scholars of the rising generation. He is a Lecturer in the...

The Right has long had a thing or two to say about the importance of the family and its role in national stability and prosperity.  But there are sharp divisions regarding what political implications can be drawn from this idea, and what policies should be pursued to protect and strengthen families.

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis welcomes economist Clara Piano to the show to talk about the government’s role in pro-natal and pro-family policies, the ideal population size, the challenges of under/over-population, ethical consumerism, and what some of today’s Right have in common...

Is civil discourse even possible across the political divide when that divide seems so insurmountable? How do we maintain or even strengthen relationships when we don’t see politics the same? The latest Saving Elephants roundtable brings together panelists who all have experience in communicating across the divide: Eric Kohn (former Acton Institute podcast host), Corey Nathan (Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other), Will Wright and Josh Burtram (Faithful Politics Podcast), Elizabeth Doll (Braver Angels), and Calvin Moore (Leading Questions Podcast).

In 1976 historian George H. Nash wrote The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945, a celebrated historical accounting that established much of the narrative for how we think about the development of modern conservatism even today.  George Nash joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to discuss the various strands of thought that emerged after the Second World War that eventually evolved into a political movement on the Right.  Along the way, Dr. Nash shares his insights on the colorful individuals who shaped the debate, how they fought one another, and how an eventual loose consensus was brought forth.  Finally, he off...

At the end of 2024, Ryan Rogers joined the show to share his experiences with fanatical wokism as a graduate student.  He later had Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis on his new podcast, Reality Therapy, for a wide ranging discussion on conservatism, the challenges of the modern conservative movement, what conservatism offers that other political ideologies do not, and much more.  This episode is a re-podcast of that original conversation.

About Ryan Rogers

Ryan Rogers is a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling. He has a bachelors degree in psychology and a work his...

It’s Trump’s first week on the job and he’s been quite busy making America great again or summoning the Fourth Reich, depending on your political perspective. Join Saving Elephants’ livestream roundtable of cross-partisan pontificators to break it all down for you and what this first week might portend for the next four years.

Comedian, author, and political satirist Andrew Heaton joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to explore where our political tribalism comes from, why it’s gotten out of hand, and what to do about it.

About Andrew Heaton

From mightyheaton.com

Andrew Heaton is a comedian, author, and political satirist. He’s the host of “The Political Orphanage” comedy and news podcast, and scifi deep dive podcast “Alienating the Audience.” He’s a frequent Reason TV contributor and hosted the popular webseries “Mostly Weekly.” He’s performed standup comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe F...

With the 2024 elections in rearview both parties are trying to grapple with what lessons they should learn.  Who better to offer unsolicited advice than Josh Lewis and Blake Fischer, the respective hosts of the Saving Elephants and The Homeless Conservative podcasts?  As two Trump-skeptical conservatives on the outside looking in, sure both parties are eager to hear their thoughts on how both parties should proceed in the elections ahead.

In this episode, Josh and Blake take a deep dive into what went wrong and what went right for the Republicans in 2024 and what might help the...

As 2024 comes to a close podcasters everywhere will be doing one of those hackneyed and insufferable “a look back at the year’s major events” shows. Not to be outdone, Saving Elephants will be getting in on the action as well with another livestream roundtable to bloviate and pontificate about the numerous twists and turns of our most recent trip around the sun.  Of course, unlike all those other shows, you never know when the panelists will get into an argument about whether Burke, Strauss, Hayek, or Scruton would have had the more insightful outlook were they alive today.

As Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is wont to do, here is yet another episode exploring the political and philosophical brilliance of Edmund Burke.  But this time he is aided by scholar and professor Daniel Klein to examine the late writings of Burke’s life as Europe was descending into revolutionary chaos.  What was Burke’s understanding of liberty and natural rights, and how did it differ from many of his more radical contemporaries?  How did Burke distinguish between reforms that were constructive or destructive, and why did he seem so reluctant to use them in some circumstances and so adam...

“I do not believe,” wrote F. A. Hayek in his book The Fatal Conceit, “that the widely held conception of ‘social justice’ either describes a possible state of affairs or is even meaningful.”  Hayek would complain “social” was a sort of “weasel word” that carried a lot of unexamined prescriptions.  To call something “social justice” is to advocate for something without bothering to fully explore what that something might even be.

What are the philosophical underpinnings of social justice?  What does it practically mean, and how could it practically apply.  And what ought we to do when the goals of “social...

Should conservatives be bullish or bearish on the incoming Trump administration? Will Trump 2.0 deliver us to the sunlit uplands of a prosperous free market economy, sensible immigration reform, and reductions in wasteful deficit spending and overbearing regulations? Or will America become a dreadful hellscape with an executive branch consistently thwarting its constitutional limits and a GOP-controlled congress refusing to hold them in check, federal departments and agencies run by charlatans and conspiracy theorists, trade wars and industrial policies that would make late 19th century populists blush, and a justice system whose primary focus is on retribution against those who “st...

“The biggest takeaway from the 2024 election,” writes Justin Longo of the Independence Center, is that “independents have officially broken the duopoly and now share the title of America’s largest political group with Republicans.”  But what is an independent, exactly?  What do they want and how are they different from those who proudly affiliate with the Republican or Democratic parties?  And what might this portend for the future of American politics?

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by pollster Brett Loyd to make sense of the rise of the independents in the electorate.

A...

Sure, the major news networks had all the "experts", but how many of them opined on what Buckley, Burke, or Kirk would think of the election results? Listen to Saving Elephants' livestream on election night as results come in from another stellar panel of cross-partisan contributors: Josh Lewis, Eric Kohn, Justin Stapley, Calvin Moore, Kent Straith, Mike Taylor, John Giokaris, Elizabeth Doll, and Steve Phelps.

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis flies this election day episode solo to offer his thoughts on how your vote is more likely to impact yourself than it is the races, having grace for those who choose to vote differently than we do, and why conservatives should take courage in a profoundly discouraging time.

Special Election Night Livestream

You’re already staying up late to watch the election results.  Why not watch them with another august cross-partisan panel brought to you by Saving Elephants?  Join us, beginning 9PM CST, as we analyze the re...

The most [assuredly not] important election of our lifetime is a little more than two weeks away. The candidates are in the home stretch as each of them make their final pitch to the dwindling undecided voter. Join another venerable group of panelists as we share our thoughts on the state of the race and our hopes and fears with a coming Harris or another Trump administration.

Panelists include: Brooke Medina, Eric Kohn, Mike Taylor, and Nate Honorè

Saving Elephants meticulously avoids many cringeworthy tropes in today’s “conservative” media and opts instead for deeper conversations on the conservative worldview and what it can offer Millennials.  As such, there is much low-hanging-fruit among the fruitier parts of the Left that isn’t as vigorously explored as it is in the aforementioned “conservative” media.  But that doesn’t mean these topics are off limits—just that they’re to be approached with conviction and clarity.

Josh Lewis welcomes Kimberly Ross back to the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on what it means to be a woman, the place of...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance square off for the first—and likely only—vice presidential debate that’s sure to leave pundits chattering, social media accounts fighting, and late economists spinning in their graves. The debate begins at 9PM ET. Join us immediately following the debate for another livestream roundtable to restore some inkling of sanity back to this election.

Panelists include Scott Howard, Jeffery Tyler Syck, and John Giokaris.

In a world where both political parties are moving away from free market oriented policy solutions, a robust defense of our international allies, and traditional social norms, where does the conservative go from here?

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by special returning guests Cal Davenport, Erik Kohn, and Justin Stapley for a roundtable discussion on what the future holds for the conservative movement.

This episode first dropped as a livestream on the new Saving Elephants YouTube channel., featuring full-length episodes, exclusive shorts, and even live events! Check it out here: https...

From Eastern Europe to the Middle East to Southeast Asia to so many other places, the world's on fire. Yet neither presidential candidate is offering us a compelling vision to navigate this brave new world. Join another august assembly of panelists as we discuss what a sensible foreign policy might look like.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve3XCgOkHQc&t=3446s

The Declaration of Independence audaciously declares certain “truths” to be “self-evident”.  And, in so doing, offered a justification for not only a break with Great Britain and Revolutionary War, but the foundation upon which a new nation could be built.  But how uniformly were these “truths” held and understood by the Founding Fathers?  Were they disparate views that were ultimately incoherent or inconsistent?  Did the divergent cultures of the American North and South have fundamentally different ideas of what they conceived of America to be?  Were the Founders simply protecting their material interests and reaching for any argument at hand that seemed...

The stakes were high in the first debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Did anyone, other than the American people, emerge the loser? Were any pets harmed during the debate? Did some semblance of substance somehow slip through? Saving Elephants presents another livestream cross-partisan panel to debate the debate, featuring:

Elizabeth Doll

Mike Taylor

Cal Davenport

John Giokaris

In this era of polarization and partisan bickering, Americans of all political persuasions are calling for the nation to come together.  National unity is certainly in high demand and highly praised.  But what is unity?  As Yuval Levin argues in his latest book, American Covenant, “unity doesn’t mean agreement…disagreement does not foreclose the possibility of unity.  A more unified society would not always disagree less, but it would disagree better—that is, more constructively and with an eye to how different priorities and goals can be accommodated.  That we have lost some of our knack for unity in America do...

It's the last night of the Democratic National Convention and who better to offer commentary on Kamala Harris' speech than a cross-partisan panel? Join us for a livestream discussion scheduled to take place shortly after Kamala's speech.

The great fusionist project of ordered liberty advocated by Frank Meyer, William F. Buckley, and M. Stanton Evans is defended and affirmed today by a group calling themselves Freedom Conservatives, or FreeCons.  And as most groups of conservatives are wont to do, they have drafted a Statement of Principles outlining what they hope to affirm.  Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is a proud signatory on this statement and welcomes in this episode one of the two originators of the Statement, Avik Roy, for a wide-ranging discussion on fusionism, how FreeCons may compare and contrast with NatCons, the need for co...

Was Abraham Lincoln a racist?  Were his efforts at emancipation the mere cold calculations of a politician whose sole aim was to win the Civil War, or do they point to some deeper ideals of America’s first principles?  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Lincoln historian Dr. Allen C. Guelzo for a wide-ranging conversation on how Lincoln’s efforts at ending slavery and saving the union may provide the clearest example of prudent American statesmanship in practice.

About Dr. Allen C. Guelzo

Excerpts from the James Madison Program

Dr. A...