Episode 14 - The Price of Greatness with Jay Cost
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Release Date: 09/04/2018
Saving 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_outline 162 – Harmonizing Sentiments with Hans EicholzSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The Declaration of Independence audaciously declares certain “truths” to be “self-evident”. And, in so doing, offered a justification for not only a break with Great Britain and Revolutionary War, but the foundation upon which a new nation could be built. But how uniformly were these “truths” held and understood by the Founding Fathers? Were they disparate views that were ultimately incoherent or inconsistent? Did the divergent cultures of the American North and South have fundamentally different ideas of what they conceived of America to be? Were the...
info_outline Roundtable - That 1st Trump vs Harris DebateSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The stakes were high in the first debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Did anyone, other than the American people, emerge the loser? Were any pets harmed during the debate? Did some semblance of substance somehow slip through? Saving Elephants presents another livestream cross-partisan panel to debate the debate, featuring: Elizabeth Doll Mike Taylor Cal Davenport John Giokaris
info_outline 161 – American Covenant with Yuval LevinSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In this era of polarization and partisan bickering, Americans of all political persuasions are calling for the nation to come together. National unity is certainly in high demand and highly praised. But what is unity? As Yuval Levin argues in his latest book, , “unity doesn’t mean agreement…disagreement does not foreclose the possibility of unity. A more unified society would not always disagree less, but it would disagree better—that is, more constructively and with an eye to how different priorities and goals can be accommodated. That we have lost some...
info_outline Roundtable - Kamala's DNC SpeechSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
It's the last night of the Democratic National Convention and who better to offer commentary on Kamala Harris' speech than a cross-partisan panel? Join us for a livestream discussion scheduled to take place shortly after Kamala's speech.
info_outline 160 – FreeCons with Avik RoySaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The great fusionist project of ordered liberty advocated by Frank Meyer, William F. Buckley, and M. Stanton Evans is defended and affirmed today by a group calling themselves Freedom Conservatives, or FreeCons. And as most groups of conservatives are wont to do, they have drafted a outlining what they hope to affirm. Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is a proud signatory on this statement and welcomes in this episode one of the two originators of the Statement, Avik Roy, for a wide-ranging discussion on fusionism, how FreeCons may compare and contrast with NatCons, the need for...
info_outline 159 – The Prudential Lincoln with Allen GuelzoSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? Were his efforts at emancipation the mere cold calculations of a politician whose sole aim was to win the Civil War, or do they point to some deeper ideals of America’s first principles? Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Lincoln historian Dr. Allen C. Guelzo for a wide-ranging conversation on how Lincoln’s efforts at ending slavery and saving the union may provide the clearest example of prudent American statesmanship in practice. About Dr. Allen C. Guelzo Excerpts from the Dr. Allen C. Guelzo is a New York...
info_outline 158 – Fashionable Fusionists with Samuel GoldmanSaving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In an age of rampant informalities, shoddy attire, and the kind of milieu that makes a possibility, conservatives stand athwart history yelling STOP! Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is the impeccably dressed Samuel Goldman to explore how conservatism informs the world of fashion, why legendary figures on the Right from Russell Kirk to Albert J Nock to Willmoore Kendall wore such questionably lavish accessories, the connective tissues between intellectual conservatism and 90s era punk rock, and much more. About Samuel Goldman Samuel Goldman is an associate professor of...
info_outlineHas American politics always been this divisive? Would you believe it was once much worse?
National Review columnist and visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Jay Cost joins us to discuss how a difference of opinion in the early days of the American republic led to a fight that can still be felt today.
Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton and James Madison went from being close allies to bitter political opponents shortly after the nation was formed. Jay Cost’s latest book— The Price of Greatness–tells the story of how this epic rivalry between two great men laid the groundwork for much of our political strife today. His message is important in understanding part of what makes our politics so divisive and how we can overcome that division.
In addition to National Review and the American Enterprise Institute, Jay’s work can be found at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Weekly Standard, and various other notable publications. Jay has written three books: “The Price of Greatness: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the Creation of American Oligarchy”(Basic Books, June 2018); “A Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of Political Corruption”(Encounter Books, 2015); and “Spoiled Rotten: How the Politics of Patronage Corrupted the Once Noble Democratic Party and Now Threatens the American Republic”(Broadside Books, 2012).
According to his AEI bio, his interests are broadly focused on civic republicanism in the United States, with emphases on the political theory of James Madison, the problem of political corruption, the role of political parties, the development of civic institutions over time, and the power and responsibility of Congress. He writes and speaks frequently on American elections, with a special attention on placing contemporary trends in historical context.
As will be evident throughout the episode—Jay has a commanding knowledge of U.S. history and its impact on our political world. If you enjoy the discussion but have an unquenchable thirst for more, I’d highly recommend you buy the book and then truck on over to the podcast Jay and his colleague Luke Thompson cohost called Constitutionally Speaking; a show about how the Constitution works and how it was put together.