Show Notes:
Episode 35: Josh Lewis on Classical Conservatism in a MAGA World
Guest: Josh Lewis, founder of Saving Elephants podcast and blog
About Josh:Josh Lewis is a CPA and longtime student of conservative thought who founded Saving Elephants to reignite classical conservatism as a tradition rooted in prudence, gratitude, and community—rather than populism or personality-driven politics. He brings a practical, institution-focused perspective on how enduring conservative ideas can address polarization, civic decay, and the pressures facing younger generations.
Episode Summary:In this wide-ranging conversation, hosts Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum discuss the meaning of conservatism in 2025 with Josh Lewis. They explore why political labels have become more tribal than informative, the unique challenges millennials face in understanding conservative principles, and why prudence has been replaced by winning in modern politics. Josh shares his personal journey of stepping down from state Republican Party leadership in 2016 and offers insights on how we might rebuild a politics centered on long-term thinking rather than short-term gains.
Key Topics Discussed:
Political Labels & Identity
* Why “conservative” is so contested in 2025
* How labels have shifted from informative to tribal and dehumanizing
* The contextual nature of conservatism vs universal ideologies
* Being “politically homeless” in modern America
Millennials & Conservatism
* Why millennials formed their understanding of conservatism during the Bush era
* The impact of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars and 2008 financial crisis on conservative credibility
* How millennials bridge the analog and digital worlds
* The unique economic challenges facing younger generations
Generational Economics
* The structural decisions that created barriers to economic prosperity
* Why “playing by the same rules” doesn’t guarantee the same outcomes anymore
* The role of credentialing, regulation, and crony capitalism
* Student debt and the ecosystem that encouraged it
* Growing inequality within the millennial generation
Prudence vs Winning
* How winning replaced prudence as the core conservative value
* The “invasion of the body snatchers” moment in the Republican Party
* Why prudence requires thinking beyond our own lifetimes
* The tension between conservatism and democracy’s short-term focus
* How conservative institutions (Senate, judiciary) were designed to slow democracy
Trump & the Republican Party
* Josh’s 2016 decision to step down from Republican Party leadership
* The hostile takeover and subsequent transformation of the party
* Finding fellow travelers and maintaining relationships across disagreements
* The distortion field effect of Trump’s demand for loyalty
Structural Reforms
* Removing TV cameras from Senate chambers
* Expanding the House of Representatives
* Reforming the filibuster to require physical presence
* The need for Congress to reclaim its constitutional role
* Why feedback channels in democracy are being cut off
Conservative Intellectual Tradition
* Edmund Burke as the central figure in conservative thought
* Yuval Levin as an accessible modern conservative thinker
* The importance of understanding the French Revolution debates
* Russell Kirk, Thomas Sowell, and William F. Buckley Jr.
* Reading list: 50 conservative thinkers worth your time
Reasons for Optimism
* Unprecedented reduction in global poverty
* Technological and economic progress in recent centuries
* The importance of recognizing how well we’re doing historically
* The risk of losing progress by pretending “we’ve never had it this bad”
Key Quotes:
* “I often tell people I’m a classical conservative in hopes that will throw them off enough to think, well, that adjective’s probably doing a lot of work here.”
* “Conservatism is almost entirely contextual. What are we conserving? I’m not trying to conserve the Ottoman Empire of the 16th century—I’m trying to conserve the American tradition.”
* “We use political labels as shorthand almost exclusively to either say you are on my team, or I don’t like you.”
* “Prudence is not just cold calculating what this is going to get me in the future. It’s wedded to a sense of morals and requires humility and sacrifice.”
* “The modern Republican party has fallen victim to exactly the same kinds of tendencies in democracy that it previously criticized.”
Connect with Josh:
* Saving Elephants podcast and blog (savingelephantsblog.com)
* Edmund Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France”
Resources Mentioned:
* Russell Kirk’s “The Conservative Mind” and “10 Principles of Conservatism”
* Yuval Levin’s “The Great Debate,” “The Fractured Republic,” and “American Covenant”
* Thomas Sowell’s writings
* Jonah Goldberg’s “Suicide of the West”
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