Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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...

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...