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124 – The Unpopulists and the New Right with Shikha Dalmia

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Release Date: 02/07/2023

Roundtable - Buckley Turns 100 show art Roundtable - Buckley Turns 100

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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:  - CEO of  Michael Lucchese - Founder and CEO of  - Podcaster, professor, ect.

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Roundtable - Taking Federalism Seriously show art Roundtable - Taking Federalism Seriously

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 federalism seriously again.  The panelists include: Brooke Medina - VP of Comms with the State Policy Network Jenn Butler - Sr Policy Advisor with the State Policy Network Dan Hugger - Librarian and...

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190 – Biographizing Buckley with Sam Tanenhaus show art 190 – Biographizing Buckley with Sam Tanenhaus

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 reflect on his long and remarkable life.   Sam Tanehaus’ decades-in-the-making biography of Buckley was published earlier this year and he joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to cover...

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189 – Rescuing the American Project with Nathan Brown and Robert Haglund show art 189 – Rescuing the American Project with Nathan Brown and Robert Haglund

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 that “much of the dysfunction in contemporary American politics is a consequence of the failure by our elites to understand the crucial relationship between immigration and nationalism.”   Nathan and Robert join Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to explore the history and controversy of immigration in America, what the Left and the...

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Roundtable - The Kids are all Alt-Right show art Roundtable - The Kids are all Alt-Right

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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

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188 – The UnLeft with J.J. McCullough show art 188 – The UnLeft with J.J. McCullough

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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, 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 of his past life.   J.J. joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to discuss how his political philosophy can inform his work without his work being subsumed to a set of ideological commitments, how this...

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Bonus Episode - My Conversation / Intervention with Justin Stapley show art Bonus Episode - My Conversation / Intervention with Justin Stapley

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 between myself and  that every time I'm on his podcast, I've rebranded. And he's not necessarily wrong, lol. Here's the various blogs and efforts I've done since 2016... Never Tyranny was my...

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187 – Audaciously Aspirational with John Wilsey show art 187 – Audaciously Aspirational with John Wilsey

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

One cannot BE a conservative.  One can only aspire to conservatism.  So says John Wilsey in his new book .  Perhaps Roger Scruton’s 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 explore the religious roots of American conservatism and the challenges of bringing up a new generation of conservatives without the giants of the past conservatives had to look to for inspiration and encouragement.   About John Wilsey...

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Roundtable - Combating Political Violence show art Roundtable - Combating Political Violence

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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:  - Host of   - Host of   - Host of   - Host of  - Host of 

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186 – Conservative Canucks with Shawn Whatley show art 186 – Conservative Canucks with Shawn Whatley

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Is Trump correct that Canada is destined to be America’s 51st 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 understand each other through comparison?  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Shawn Whatley to make sense of it all.   About Shawn Whatley Shawn Whatley hosts , a weekly...

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More Episodes

Populism is on the rise today—or so we’re told.  But what is populism?  Is it something to be feared or should it only be concerning to those dastardly elites?  Is populism a political movement of the Left or the Right?  Is it only a phenomenon of the politics of today, or has populism existed in some form throughout our nation’s history?  Does populism protect the individual from powerful interests or endanger our liberties?  How does populism fit into the conservative tradition?

 

Josh is joined by Shikha Dalmia of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to delve into these very questions.  While the first half of this atypically long episode explores populism, the latter end of the conversation covers the various factions of the New Right.  Factions Shikha has dubbed the Flight 93ers, the Integralists, the National Conservatives, and the Red-Pilled Anarcho Bros.  While traditional conservatives can find some value in all four groups, ultimately they represent a departure from the conservative view.

 

About Shikha Dalmia

 

From Shikha’s bio at the Mercatus Center:

Shikha Dalmia is a visiting fellow with the Mercatus Center’s Program on Pluralism and Civil Exchange whose work focuses on populist authoritarianism.  Previously, Dalmia was a writer at Reason Magazine and a senior analyst at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank.  She is a columnist at The Week, and writes regularly for Bloomberg View, The New York TimesUSA Today, and numerous other publications.  From 1996-2004, Dalmia was an editorial writer at Detroit News.

 

Dalmia has an M.A. in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University and a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Delhi.  You can subscribe to Dalmia’s substack, The UnPopulist, dedicated to defending open liberal societies from populist authoritarian attacks.  And can follow Shikha on Twitter @shikhadalmia