Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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...

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 maintai...

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 hi...

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 lis...

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 go...

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 &...

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...

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...

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 podc...

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 pa...

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...

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 fro...

"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...

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-cont...

"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...

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...

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 r...

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: B...

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 to...

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. Pane...

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 conse...

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...

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 incohere...

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 D...