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134 – Gilding a Mess with Avi Woolf

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Release Date: 07/04/2023

181 – Escaping the Housing Trap with Chuck Marohn show art 181 – Escaping the Housing Trap with Chuck Marohn

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by president of Strong Towns Chuck Marohn to discuss his latest book: .   About Chuck Marohn From Charles Marohn (known as “Chuck” to friends and...

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180 – Uncap the House with Jeff Mayhugh show art 180 – Uncap the House with Jeff Mayhugh

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 understanding of how people might best be represented by their leaders will require a lot of hard work, but it has the potential to benefit all Americans all across the political divide....

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179 – I, Tony with Tony Woodlief show art 179 – I, Tony with Tony Woodlief

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 many of the policy battles of the moment.   About Tony Woodlief Excerpts from Tony’s bio in the and on his :   Tony Woodlief is State Policy Network’s Senior Executive Vice...

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178 – Revolt of the Independents with Lura Forcum show art 178 – Revolt of the Independents with Lura Forcum

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 governments at all levels.  Why is that?  What would it mean for Americans to embrace an “independent” politics and how likely is that to occur?  What do independent voters...

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177 – Dear Mr. President with Destry Edwards show art 177 – Dear Mr. President with Destry Edwards

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 host Josh Lewis is Destry Edwards to discuss his new documentary , and how a single citizen can have an outsized effect on our political system.   About Destry Edwards Destry...

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176 – Consuming News Responsibly show art 176 – Consuming News Responsibly

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 maintain sanity in a seemingly endless supply of hot takes and outrage-of-the-moments?   Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Avi Woolf, JB Shreve, and Blake Fischer as they discuss...

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175 – The Two James Burnhams with David Byrne show art 175 – The Two James Burnhams with David Byrne

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 his long public career, there emerged two James Burnhams: one who provided the early scaffolding to neoconservative ideas and the other who inspired paleoconservatives.  Saving...

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174 – Triggering Straussians with Greg Collins show art 174 – Triggering Straussians with Greg Collins

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

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 listener, this one gets nerdy in a hurry!   About Greg Collins From The Kirk Center Dr. Gregory Collins is one of the most celebrated Burke scholars of the rising generation. He is a...

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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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Roundtable - Conversing Across the Political Divide show art Roundtable - Conversing Across the Political Divide

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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In the aftermath of the Civil War and prior to the first World War lies an often overlooked era in American history known as the Gilded Age.  This was an extraordinarily “messy” period where it’s often difficult to identify the heroes to extol or villains to condemn.  But it is also a period that has unusually similar parallels to our own times from rapid technological advancements, growing partisanship, and the unraveling of communities and traditions.  We might benefit from a closer understanding of the lessons learned in this messy period.

 

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by returning guest Avi Woolf, a fellow podcaster who has been working through an in-depth and nuanced series on the Gilded Age on his podcast Avi’s Conversational Corner.  He joins Josh to help decipher the mess of this era.

 

About Avi Woolf

Avi Woolf is a writer, editor, translator, and podcaster whose work has been published in Arc Digital, Commentary, National Review, The Bulwark, and The Dispatch.  He was chief editor of the online Medium publication Conservative Pathways, and he—in his words—"hopes to help forge a path for a conservatism which is relevant for the 21st century while not abandoning the best of past wisdom.”

 

Avi hosts his own podcast entitled Avi’s Conversational Corner, a podcast on culture, history, and politics in a broad perspective.  You can find Avi on Twitter @AviWoolf