197 – Defending Wonks with Nic Dunn
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Release Date: 03/03/2026
210 – John Quincy Adams with Jeffrey Tyler Syck
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Sure, most of us are aware that John Quincy Adams was the son of Founding Father John Adams and the sixth POTUS with a long and illustrative career in public service and diplomacy. Some might even recall that he was the brains behind the Monroe Doctrine, or that he nearly drowned during one of his many multi-hour swims in the Potomac River, or that he is undoubtedly the former president Americans would least likely want to have a beer with, or that he was considered by some to be . But all of that’s just trivia. More importantly, John Quincy Adams was a prolific writer whose...
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Roundtable - Rise of the DSA
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Whether it's Zohran Mamdani's win in NYC last year or the slew of Democratic Socialists of America electoral victories this year, the DSA is having a moment. Is this the beginning of the socialist utopia displacing the patriarchal/capitalist system in the United States or the latest ill-fated iteration of a party out of power attempting to redefine itself? Saving Elephants assembled another august panel to discuss this very issue, including: serves as Vice President of Communications for . Prior to joining SPN, Brooke was the Vice President of Communications at the , a...
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209 – The Soul of Schooling
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Former President George W. Bush was wrong when he iconically stated "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?" Actually, it's asked all the time (dubious grammatical structuring aside). Politicians and social influencers are quick to bemoan the state of education, but thoughtful conversations on how we might meaningfully change things for the better are few and far between. Saving Elephants has assembled an all-star panel to have a real conversation about education: Have we failed to educate our children? To what extent are problems in education a matter of bad policies,...
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Roundtable - Common Good Conservatism
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In recent weeks conservative social media has been aflurry debating that nebulous phrase, the Common Good. Does the New Right have a monopoly on the concept of the common good? If we can agree on the common good, does that alone grant us the political authority to impose it? What is the relationship between liberty and the common good? Saving Elephants welcomes two guests to set the record straight for good and all. Dan Hugger, Editorial and Research Fellow and the Host of Acton Line Podcast at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty. He writes and speaks on questions...
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208 – Fusionism with Stephanie Slade
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Fellow Millennial, Stephanie Slade, has been in the trenches of various factions on the dissident Right lo these past several years to share with the uninitiated normies just how unhinged the Right has become in certain quarters. She joined Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis earlier this year () to explore this phenomenon. But since that time she’s written a book, , which offers the antidote to the rise of rightwing radicalism. That antidote is fusionism, a largely forgotten idea that once defined American conservatism. About Stephanie Slade From Stephanie...
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207 – Why Postliberalism Failed with James Patterson and Thomas Howes
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Patrick Deneen’s 2018 book, Why Liberalism Failed, was by the standards of most academic works of political philosophy, wildly successful. It struck a chord with some of the broader Right and gave a voice to a growing movement skeptical of the promises of classical liberalism and looking for an alternative. This burgeoning New Right, however, is anything but new. The kind of postliberalism often advocated by the New Right has been attempted in nations across Europe and South America. And each time it has been tried, it has failed. Joining Saving Elephants host...
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206 – Pondering Patriotism with John Wilsey
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
What does it mean to love your country? Is that nationalism? And isn’t nationalism—you know—bad? And how should our allegiance and love of country be weighed against our duties and affections to family and faith? Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by John Wilsey to discuss his latest book, , the origins of nationalism and how it differs from patriotism, the link between history and love of ones country, the battles between the Romantics and Rationalists, and that great public servant, John Quincy Adams. About John Wilsey From the Dr. John...
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205 – Radical Experimentation in Liberty with Brad Birzer
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The immortal words of the —We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness—are etched upon the hearts of American patriots today and knit us together with patriots down through the ages. Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Hillsdale professor Brad Birzer as they delve into the depths of this most remarkable of political texts and explore the origins of the ideas that birthed our nation. About Brad Birzer From...
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Roundtable - America, 250 Years Young
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Whether you call it the Semiquincentennial or the Sestercentennial; whether you’re on team Red, Blue, or politically homeless; whether you believe Die Hard is a movie about Independence Day; America’s 250th birthday is something worth celebrating. So how best to ring in this once-in-a-lifetime advent? Saving Elephants has assembled a panel to reflect on what it means for America to turn the big 250.
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204 – Weaving Thru Weaver with Michael Lucchese
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Richard Weaver was a twentieth century American scholar and rhetorician whose writings were praised by the likes of Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley, Willmoore Kendall, and Frank Meyer. But nowadays Weaver is either derided as a racially charged Southern sympathizer or . If he’s discussed at all. Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Michael Lucchese, whose latest essay in defends Weaver’s contributions to the intellectual Right and argues his writings are still instructive for the conservative today. This episode explores Weaver’s actual views on the South...
info_outlineWhile Saving Elephants is dedicated to offering the conservative intellectual tradition in mercifully modern vernacular, fellow podcaster Nic Dunn has been on a similar mission: making the work of policy institutions more digestible. Nic joins Josh for a conversation around the important role policy can play in defusing political tension, alleviating poverty, and expanding the freedom and opportunities all Americans seek.
About Nic Dunn
Bio from Sutherland Institute
Nic Dunn serves as Vice President of Strategy and Senior Fellow at Sutherland Institute. As VP of Strategy, Nic oversees the execution and strategic external impact of Sutherland’s written and multimedia policy content. In his capacity as Senior Fellow, he leads the policy research, coalition building, and public advocacy for policies that strengthen opportunity and upward mobility. This policy focus includes social safety net reform, workforce issues, and support for the well-being of men and boys. His expert commentary and analysis can be found on Sutherland’s weekly podcast, Defending Ideas, which he hosts, as well as in major outlets like Deseret News, Washington Examiner, National Review, and other Utah print and radio outlets.
Nic brings more than 13 years of experience in public policy and strategic communications spanning state and local government and the private sector. Prior to Sutherland, Nic served as director of Utah Community Builders, the Salt Lake Chamber’s nonprofit social impact foundation. In that role, Nic worked with the private sector to advance statewide initiatives in mental health, family policy, and upward mobility. Nic is also a member of the AEI Leadership Network, and the co-chair of the Salt Lake County Intergenerational Poverty Task Force.
In other previous work, Nic ran public policy for the Utah Valley Chamber, served as senior policy advisor to Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, directed media relations for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, and worked on Gov. Gary Herbert’s communications staff as lead speechwriter.
Nic has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Utah and dual bachelor’s degrees in broadcast journalism and political science from the University of Nevada, Reno. Nic and his wife, Lizzie, live in Eagle Mountain with their two sons.
Introducing Conservative Cagematches
Ever since Leo Strauss published his magnum opus Natural Right and History, which ends by heavily implying Edmund Burke opened the door for the evils of historicism in the modern world, a great fissure in conservative nerddom erupted between those who align with either titan.
Were Strauss’ criticism of Burke warranted? Did Burke disavow natural rights and pave the way for the evils of authoritarianism, fascism, Marxism, and progressivism to come? Does a careful, esoteric reading of Natural Right and History reveal the Strauss secret family chili recipe?
On Wednesday, March 4 at 6PM EST / 5PM CST, Saving Elephants will assemble an all-star panel to answer these questions and more.
Representing Edmund Burke:
Greg Collins of Yale University and Lauren Hall of the Rochester Institute of Technology
Representing Leo Strauss:
Steve Hayward of Pepperdine and the international woman of mystery, Lucretia of the University of Arizona
You can watch the livestream on YouTube or Facebook