Episode 85 – Strong Towns with Charles Marohn
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Release Date: 06/15/2021
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...
info_outline Roundtable - Bullish or Bearish on Trump 2.0?Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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...
info_outline 166 – Independent Idiosyncrasies with Brett LoydSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
“The biggest takeaway from the 2024 election,” , 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. About Brett Loyd...
info_outline Roundtable - Election Night - LivestreamSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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: , , , , Kent Straith, , John Giokaris, , and Steve Phelps.
info_outline 165 – Take CourageSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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 results in real...
info_outline Roundtable - Election 2024 - Home StretchSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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
info_outline 164 – What is a Woman with Kimberly RossSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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...
info_outline Roundtable - Vice Vice BabySaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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.
info_outline 163 – Where Does the Conservative Go from Here?Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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:
info_outline Roundtable - Towards a Sensible Foreign PolicySaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
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:
info_outlineFor thousands of years the ways in which cities and towns developed has provided us with a of blueprint for what human habitats need to flourish. Yet today many of our cities and towns have forsaken these tried-and-true methods and instead imposed rational planning and an overreliance on pricey infrastructure projects to foster growth and further development. What are the potential downfalls of departing from these practices of the past?
Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns to traverse the world of urban planning and discuss the need for a return to the ancient models of development, the terrible costs of over-indebted infrastructure projects to younger Americans, whether or not Wal-Mart is a net boon or detriment to local communities, and how conservatism can help us form a more prosperous and enjoyable world.
Podcast Survey
Help us make the podcast even better: Take the listener survey for a chance to win a Saving Elephants coffee mug.
About Charles Marohn
Charles (or “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) Marohn is the founder and president of Strong Towns, a nonprofit that supports thousands of people across the United States and Canada who are advocating for a radically new way of thinking about the way we build our world. Marohn is a professional engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.
Marohn is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Planetizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time. He is a long-time commentator on KAXE Northern Community Radio. He currently co-hosts KAXE’s Dig Deep program, a monthly examination of public policy issues affecting Minnesotans.
Marohn grew up on a small farm in central Minnesota. The oldest of three sons of two elementary school teachers, he joined the Minnesota National Guard on his seventeenth birthday during his junior year of high school and served in the Guard for nine years. In addition to being passionate about building a stronger America, he loves playing music, is an obsessive reader, and religiously follows his favorite team, the Minnesota Twins. Chuck and his wife live with their two daughters in their hometown of Brainerd, Minnesota. You can find him on Twitter @clmarohn
Listener Mail
Josh responds to a listener’s question about conservatism’s challenges with appealing to minorities and whether our nation’s institutions are worth conserving given the history of American slavery and other past sins.