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Bonus Episode – Midterm Examinations with Mickey Dodson

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Release Date: 11/09/2018

173 – The Fertility Gap with Clara Piano show art 173 – The Fertility Gap with Clara Piano

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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...

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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: (former Acton Institute podcast host), (), Will Wright and Josh Burtram (), Elizabeth Doll (), and Calvin Moore ().

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

In 1976 historian George H. Nash wrote , 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...

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

At the end of 2024, Ryan Rogers joined the show to share his as a graduate student.  He later had Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis on his new podcast, , 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 history in addiction treatment.  His latest...

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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.

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Comedian, author, and political satirist 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   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 Festival, as a finalist in the...

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 and 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 them secure their newfound majorities for...

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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.

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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...

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Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

“I do not believe,” wrote F. A. Hayek in his book , “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...

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The 2018 midterm elections have come and gone, but there’s still plenty of analyzing and expounding to be done.  And who better than an investigative auditor to get to the bottom of the good, the bad, and the ugly details of 2018?  Joining Josh for this special bonus episode is Mickey Dodson, investigative auditor for the Oklahoma State Auditor’s Office.
 
Though a Millennial, Mickey has worn a number of hats that take many people a lifetime to achieve.  He’s a former city councilor, former attorney for the Tulsa County DA’s office, and former agent for the FBI.  These days he performs special and investigative audits of public officials and public entities in Oklahoma where he works with Saving Elephants’ host Josh Lewis in the State Auditor’s Office.  In running for office himself and in working in many campaigns over the years, Mickey has gained invaluable insight into the Republican party at a state and national level.
 
The 2018 midterm election was a mixed bag for both the Republican and Democratic parties.  The real losers in the midterm elections were those who don’t identify with the more radical elements of both parties.  Those who don’t separate the world into warring tribes or factions of good guys vs bad guys are becoming fewer and fewer in election positions, and our nation is all the worse off for it.
 
What does this mean for the Republican party in the years ahead?  Will the Democrats—emboldened with their new majority in the House—legislate or litigate?  Will the next two years be non-stop investigations and calls for impeachment or will congress find ways to compromise and work out their differences?  And where does this leave the Republican party?  Have they forever solidified themselves as the party of Trump or is he a passing fad?  Join us as we dissect these questions and more.