Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Dr. Daniel Pitt and his imposing mustache joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to explore the similarities and differences between American and British conservatism, proto-Burkean "conservative" thinkers, Pitt's personal relationship with Sir Roger Scruton, and the importance of unchosen obligations in a free society, all offered up in a wonderfully meandering conversation that nonetheless stays...

While Saving Elephants defends the classical conservative position, the loudest voices on the Right today coalesce around different policies, priorities, and goals.   Those that form the dissident Right are comprised of multiple sub-groups with overlapping and, at times, incompatible views.   So who is this disparate group of dissidents?   What holds them together, and how do they differ from cons...

Does the fractious stupidity of our politics, the rapid advancement of AI, and the release of the final season of Stranger Things portend making America great again or the coming apocalypse? Join our panelists for a (definitive, obviously) glimpse into what's in store for us all in 2026. Panelists include: Brooke Medina  - VP of Comms with the  State Policy Network Avi Woolf  - Host of  Avi's Conv...

Jonah Goldberg makes his triumphal return to Saving Elephants where host Josh Lewis peppers him with unyielding questions on what his fourth and forthcoming book will be about, the practicality of setting lottery winnings as a life-goal, what a post-Trump GOP might look like, whether it makes sense to even "save" the elephants, and whether we should welcome human enslavement to our future AI overl...

In 2019 Caylan Ford resigned her political candidacy in Canada after controversy over allegations of her echoing white nationalist rhetoric.   In spite of her resignation—and continual insistence she held no such views—the mobs of cancel culture demanded "justice".   She was blacklisted from employers, unable to continue work with organizations that seek to liberate people living under the yoke of...

William F Buckley was one of the most important figures in the conservative movement over the past century. His posthumous 100th birthday is Monday, November 24. Come celebrate the life and legacy of Buckley as our Saving Elephant panelists pay tribute to a conservative life well lived. Panelists include: Eric Kohn  - CEO of  America's Future Michael Lucchese - Founder and CEO of  Pipe Creek Consu...

Returning to the Founders' blueprint for dividing power across federal, state, and local governments may be the greatest weapon we have to reverse the appalling state of our politic divisiveness. What is federalism? And what would a recommitment to federalism look like? Saving Elephants welcomes panelists from the State Policy Network and the Acton Institute to discuss what it means to take federa...

There are four faces on the Saving Elephants' Mount Rushmore of great conservatives: Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, Thomas Sowell, and William F. Buckley.   While the first three have each had fully episodes dedicated to their life and works, William F. Buckley has yet to be explored at length.   And with Buckley's posthumous 100th birthday happening later this month, now is the perfect time to refle...

Those who identify as pro-immigration and pro-nationalist are often at odds with one another.   But what if a healthy dose of nationalism is the very thing that could bolster our immigration?   Nathan Brown and Robert Haglund argue in their new book Rescuing the American Project that "much of the dysfunction in contemporary American politics is a consequence of the failure by our elites to underst...

Does the Right have a radical problem, particularly among young men? Saving Elephants assembles another insightful panel to offer their...insights. The panelists include: Eric Kohn  - President of America's Future Jeffery Tyler Syck  - Proffessor at the University of Pikeville Jeff Mayhugh - VP of NoCapFund Lura Forcum - President of the Independent Center

Disillusioned with the rigidity of political tribalism, J.J. McCullough left his role as conservative journalist and commentator and became a content creator.   His YouTube channel, J.J. McCullough offers his one million subscribers weekly deep dives about countries, cultures, and Canada.   But while politics is not the focus of his channel, some of his content is still tinged with the overtures o...

Justin Stapley and I have been on similar journeys these past many years seeking to better understand our worldviews and the ever-changing political moment and how best to restore sanity and integrity to our politics. But while I've been diligently producing podcast episodes for these past seven years, Justin has launched a dizzying array of projects. In his own words: There's an ongoing joke betw...

One cannot BE a conservative.   One can only aspire to conservatism.   So says John Wilsey in his new book Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer .   Perhaps Roger Scruton's How to be a Conservative was a worthy endeavor but too audacious of a title.   John Wilsey joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to flesh out the aspirational nature of conservatism and how it grounds the individual.   They...

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's shocking assassination, Americans are bracing for further political attacks. But is further violence inevitable? And what can be done to prevent things from escalating? Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis assembles a roundtable to discuss these sobering and important issues.  The panelists include: Avi Woolf  - Host of  Avi's Conversational Corner Ryan Rogers  - Host of ...

Is Trump correct that Canada is destined to be America's 51 st 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 unders...

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 dau...

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 Hayw...

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 Rog...

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 f...

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:   L...

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 Elep...

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...

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...

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 go...