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Episode 17 - Where do Conservatives Belong?

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

Release Date: 10/16/2018

Roundtable - Vice Vice Baby show art Roundtable - Vice Vice Baby

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.

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163 – Where Does the Conservative Go from Here? show art 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:

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Roundtable - Towards a Sensible Foreign Policy show art Roundtable - Towards a Sensible Foreign Policy

Saving 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:  

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162 – Harmonizing Sentiments with Hans Eicholz show art 162 – Harmonizing Sentiments with Hans Eicholz

Saving 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...

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Roundtable - That 1st Trump vs Harris Debate show art Roundtable - That 1st Trump vs Harris Debate

Saving 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

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161 – American Covenant with Yuval Levin show art 161 – American Covenant with Yuval Levin

Saving 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...

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Roundtable - Kamala's DNC Speech show art Roundtable - Kamala's DNC Speech

Saving 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.

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160 – FreeCons with Avik Roy show art 160 – FreeCons with Avik Roy

Saving 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...

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159 – The Prudential Lincoln with Allen Guelzo show art 159 – The Prudential Lincoln with Allen Guelzo

Saving 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...

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158 – Fashionable Fusionists with Samuel Goldman show art 158 – Fashionable Fusionists with Samuel Goldman

Saving 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...

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More Episodes
Beyond expressing and defending conservative values, part of Saving Elephant’s mission is to call out to those conservatives who no longer know where they belong.  In a world where those on the Right are often characterized as populist Trumplicans against the Deep State, it can be challenging to know where you fit if you still believe in traditional conservatism.
 
So, where does the conservative fit?  What’s wrong with populism?  What’s wrong with establishmentarianism?  How do we rekindle that spirit of inquiry in a free republic?  How do we take back the cultural heritage of debating ideas instead of mindlessly focusing on winning and juvenile social media posts?
 
Bob Burch joins the podcast once more to delve into these issues and offer some practical solutions.  Ultimately, if conservatives are going to recover the cultural heritage we’ve lost by pulling the debate away from warring populist and establishmentarian mentalities and instead focus on ideas and values, it’s going to take a lot of work.  But that work can be rewarding and enriching.
 
The most important thing we can do at an individual level is engage and encourage conversations that invite civic debate rather than run from it.  To do that we must first leave the comfort of our political echo chambers and risk engaging with those who may not agree with what we have to say.
 
If that sounds hollow because it’s “just talk” then I want to challenge you to think differently.  Part of what it means to live in a free society is that we have not only the freedom, but the duty to talk things out.  Part of what gives the United States its uniqueness and its purpose are the stories we tell ourselves.  This isn’t feel-good psychology, this is civics 101.  It does change things when we talk, because we’re forced to interact with our neighbors and reach either consensus or at least a workable compromise.
 
Shouting at one another on social media isn’t talking.  Donating cash and time to elect people who have little interest in what we have to say or believe isn’t talking.  But working through our differences one by one, first at a local level between friends and neighbors, is precisely what makes our nation exceptional.  Do you want to make America great again?  It’s not going to happen because you elected the right person.  It’s only going to happen when the people begin talking through what’s right.