Roundtable - The Kids are all Alt-Right

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

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, J.J. McCullough 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 might point towards a healthier way we can think politically, and what he—as a Canadian—thinks about Jordan Peterson.   About J.J. McCullough From youtube.fandom.com   John James "J. J." McCullough is a Canadian journalist, author, and political and social commentary YouTuber who makes educational and commentary videos about various topics relating to Canada, facts about history, the cultures of different countries, and sometimes Canadian politics. He lives in Vancouver.  

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 @svngelephants 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 first anonymous blog in 2016. I started writing while I was briefly working in the Global Services Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as I was transitioning from one police agency to another. Very much a 2016-esque #NeverTrump blog, with the moniker "Never Hillary, Never Trump, Never Tyranny." I was inspired to start writing after reading the "Against Trump" issue of National Review, an issue that also introduced me to a host of writers, most of them at @NRO at that time, that I continue to read to this day, such as @JonahDispatch, @DavidAFrench, KD Williamson, @EWErickson, and @jpodhoretz. As you can tell from the borrowed image from "Washington's Spies," this first blog was very unpolished as I kind of stumbled my toward becoming a better political writer. While this blog never really took off, I did get a small bump when Rush Limbaugh used the term "Never Tyranny" on his show, though he didn't use it in a anti-Trump context. After Donald Trump's 2016 victory, I wanted to transition to an anonymous identity that was positive and forward thinking, that was about what I was for as opposed to what I was just against. In my hopes that the Trump presidency would lead to a broader re-embrace of federalism across the spectrum, I chose to name my new blog "The Millennial Federalist" and began writing under this moniker in 2017. This blog was far more widely read than Never Tyranny was, and was well known among certain segments of the 2017 #NeverTrump movement. This blog became particularly attached to the short lived Federalist Party effort and it's mildly popular #FedUp hashtag, as well as to @RealFedCo (now defunct), where I first released articles under my real name. Sometime in 2018 and 2019, I decided I wanted to create a more collaborative effort and create a blog where liberty-minded conservatives could post articles and engage in debate and dialogue. My idea at the time was that libertarians and NeverTrump conservatives could come together and throw their weight behind a a candidate who could attempt to challenge Trump in the 2020 GOP primary and pivot to either an independent candidacy or get on the Libertarian Party ticket. This idea became what I chose to call the Liberty Hawk. Within the blog, I wrote under my own name and then hosted any other writers who wanted to be published there. (This effort was when I first became acquainted with @ConservaMuse, who published several articles at The Liberty Hawk in his senior year of high school). While my vision for a "fusion" candidate in 2020 came close to realization with @justinamash, the idea was thwarted both by Libertarians who refused to work with "statist" conservatives and by NeverTrump personalities and organizations who felt a strong third option would risk undermining Joe Biden. It was at this point that I broke from #NeverTrump because I didn't want to belong to an effort that boosted Democrats. Self-Evident was a moniker I used twice. First as my next effort after I transitioned away from The Liberty Hawk and then for the last year or so as well. In my frustration with the direction the #NeverTrump effort had taken, I pivoted in mid-2020 to the idea that I would involve myself less in direct political activism and instead focusing on illuminating the "self-evident" truths and first principles of free government. This was also when I began my first podcast, also called Self-Evident, but I only released episode intermittently, adding up to only 15 episodes over the course of several years. I blogged at Self-Evident and engaged online throughout 2022-2023 even while deployed to Kuwait and Syria with the Idaho National Guard. During my deployment, I completed by Bachelor's degree and envisioned returning home and starting a 501(c)3 with an associated publication. I attempted to follow through on this idea by founding and leading The Freemen Foundation and establishing The Freemen News-Letter. For a little over a year, I we published tremendously relevant and high quality articles from many figures across the conservative intellectual community. During most of this time, I worked full-time as the founding director and president of the foundation, and as editor in chief of the news-letter, but was only mildly compensated as we ran into the difficult realities of securing funding for such an audacious project. I chose to wrap up the effort late last year because I felt the excellent writers of the effort deserved compensation and deserved to have their articles more widely read. I also had returned to college to complete a Master's degree and could no longer commit the kind of time I had been committing. And that brings us fully up to date with my newest project, The Conservative Underground. Less audacious in scope than the Freemen Foundation, but hopefully still incredibly impactful. I'll be publishing a weekly podcast and weekly newsletter moving forward under this banner. https://conservativeunderground.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@ConservativeUnderground Clearly, an intervention is in order. In this bonus, cross-over episode Justin and I explore the paths that brought us to where we are today and where we might be headed.  

One cannot BE a conservative.  One can only aspire to conservatism.  So says John Wilsey in his new book Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer.  Perhaps Roger Scruton’s How to be a Conservative 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 John D. Wilsey is Professor of Church History and Philosophy and Chair of the Church History Department at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Senior Fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy, an initiative of the First Liberty Institute. He is also a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and a research fellow with the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the recipient of research fellowships from the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville, the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, and the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. He lives with his family in Louisville, Kentucky.  

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: Avi Woolf - Host of Avi's Conversational Corner Ryan Rogers - Host of Reality Therapy Shawn Whatley - Host of Concepts with Shawn Whatley Corey Nathan - Host of Talkin' Politics and Religion without Killin' Each Other Justin Stapley - Host of Self-Evident Substack

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 Concepts with Shawn Whatley, a weekly podcast focusing on political ideas, culture, and news.   Shawn, MD, is a seasoned physician leader with experience in emergency medicine and primary care and extensive experience in health care administration and medical politics.  Dr. Whatley contributes articles regularly to The Medical Post and serves on the Post’s Physician Advisory Committee. Dr. Whatley has served on the board of the Ontario Medical Association and more recently on the board of the Canadian Medical Association, as well as on numerous hospital and provincial planning committees. He is a Lecturer for the University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine, and an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) in McMaster University’s department of Family Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario.   Dr. Whatley is the author of the two books, When Politics Comes Before Patients – Why and how Canadian Medicare is failing and the highly praised book on how to fix emergency wait times in Canada, No More Lethal Waits. Combating Political Violence Roundtable   Join another Saving Elephants livestream on Thursday, September 18 at 7:00PM CST for a roundtable discussion on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and how we might combat political violence: https://www.youtube.com/@savingelephants  

Few forerunners of the modern conservative movement are as important, little known, and underappreciated as Frank Meyer.  Meyer possessed the IT factor that made women want him and men want to be associated with him.  He used that in his early years to advance Marxism in England—building an impressive Marxist organization that had the attention of UK’s government, dating the Prime Minister’s daughter while calling for the violent overthrow of the Prime Minister’s government, and becoming a national celebrity as the nation debated whether he should be exiled.  But later in life, when he turned to the Right, that same charisma was used to help William F. Buckley build a fledgling conservative movement that ultimately changed the politics of the nation.   Joining Josh to discuss this most remarkable life is Daniel J. Flynn, author of his latest book: The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer.   About Daniel J. Flynn From spectator.org Daniel J. Flynn, a senior editor of The American Spectator, serves as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution for the 2024-2025 academic year. His books include Cult City: Harvey Milk, Jim Jones, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco (ISI Books, 2018), Blue Collar Intellectuals: When the Enlightened and the Everyman Elevated America (ISI Books, 2011), A Conservative History of the American Left (Crown Forum, 2008), and Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas (Crown Forum, 2004). In 2025, he releases his magnum opus, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. He splits time between city Massachusetts and cabin Vermont.    About The Book Frank Meyer devised the blueprint for American conservatism—fusionism—championed by Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and so many to this day. Yet long before and far away, Communists in London chanted “Free Frank Meyer!” to block the deportation of a comrade who was their cause célèbre. Those fervent Marxists could never have predicted that their hero would one day provide the intellectual energy necessary to propel conservatives to political power.    The Man Who Invented Conservatism unveils one of the twentieth century’s great untold stories: a Communist turned conservative, an antiwar activist turned soldier, and a free-love enthusiast turned family man whose big idea captured the American Right. This intellectual migration coincided with a clandestine affair inside 10 Downing Street, service as a lieutenant to the man who later constructed the Berlin Wall, and neighborly chats with the pop-star and poet celebrity next door. Present at the creation of National Review, Meyer helped launch Joan Didion’s writing career. From H. G. Wells to Henry Kissinger to Milton Friedman, he rubbed shoulders with everyone who mattered.   Having discovered Meyer’s previously unexamined correspondence in an old soda warehouse, Daniel J. Flynn documents this saga in The Man Who Invented Conservatism, exposing the rivalries, jealousies, friendships, and fights that shaped the movement and what it means to be a conservative today.  

Some Americans warn Trump's antics in this second term are flirting with fascism while others say that's totally whacked. So which is it? Is Trump a fascist or nothing of the kind? Join our livestream as our panelists engage over the topic. Panelists include: Josh Lewis (host), Mike Taylor, Blake Fischer, John Giokaris, Steve Phelps, and Kent Straith

Steven Hayward has been involved in so many conservative institutions and organizations it may be simpler to list where he hasn’t left a mark.  This conservative man-about-town joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis as they unravel what it means to be a conservative, how Straussians might make peace with Burke, and why Josh shouldn’t be so critical of the Trump administration.   About Steven Hayward Steven F. Hayward is a fellow of the Public Law and Policy Program at Berkeley Law and visiting professor in School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University.   Steven frequently writes on a wide range of current topics, including environmentalism, law, economics, and public policy for publications including National Review, Reason, The Weekly Standard, The American Spectator, The Public Interest, the Claremont Review of Books, and the Policy Review at the Hoover Institution.  His newspaper articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and dozens of other daily newspapers.   He is the author of a two-volume narrative history of Ronald Reagan and his effect on American political life, The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order, 1964-1980, and The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counter-Revolution, 1980-1989.  His other books include Index of Leading Environmental Indicators; The Almanac of Environmental Trends; Mere Environmentalism: A Biblical Perspective on Humans and the Natural World, Churchill on Leadership; Greatness: Reagan, Churchill, and the Making of Extraordinary Leaders; Patriotism Is Not Enough; and M. Stanton Evans: Conservative Wit, Apostle of Freedom.   Steven has also served as visiting fellow professor, scholar, or lecturer at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), Ashland University, Mont Pelerin Society, Pacific Research Institute, The Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Georgetown University, The Fund for American Studies, and University of Colorado Boulder.   His blog, powerlineblog.com, is one of the nation’s most-read political websites.  

The MAGA coalition is comprised of a wide spectrum whose sole unifying idea is Trump himself. But what happens when that precarious foundation begins to fray? Have recent events shown cracks in the MAGA world that could quickly fracture, or is this all a tempest in a teapot? Join Saving Elephant panelists during our livestream to make sense of it all. Panelists include: Josh Lewis (host), Ryan Rogers, Destry Edwards, Scott Howard, and Christopher Chesny