Saving Elephants Newsletter - August 2025
Would it pay better if I just sell out?
Happy Labor Day all,
For seven years I’ve prided myself on refusing to give into the temptation of producing click-bait content in hopes of driving up, well, clicks. I’d much prefer to slowly grow an audience who knows they can depend on Saving Elephants to offer well-reasoned arguments and friendly conversations, even where there’s disagreement.
That seems to work for podcasts just fine, but YouTube videos are so beholden to eye-catching titles and thumbnails that I’ve begun to experiment with ever-so-slightly more provocative images and descriptions. That should be evident when you see the thumbnail pictures below for this month’s two roundtable discussions.
Earlier this month I posted a video of my cat Andie looking at a squirrel (also shown below). That video currently has more views than all the other videos on my channel combined.
So, if after all these years of reading, studying, interviewing, and thinking deeply, it turns out what the people really want are more cat videos and political punditry explaining why those who hold a mildly different opinion are literally worse than Hitler, perhaps it’s time I sold out to the algorithm gods. I hear it pays better. Who do I need to reach to begin receiving payments?
Alright, here’s what went down in August:
On the YouTube Channel
Roundtable – MAGA Mayhem
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? The panelists include:
Ryan Rogers - Host of Reality Therapy and author of The Woke Mind
Scott Howard – Legislative Aide to Jon Albert, FL HD-48
Destry Edwards – Media Productions Manager with the Competitive Enterprise Institute
Christopher Chesny – Part of too many political groups and campaigns to list here
Roundtable – Is Trump A Fascist?
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? The panelists include:
Mike Taylor – Host of the apply named The Political Mike
Blake Fischer – Host of The Homeless Conservative
John Giokaris – Tax consultant and professional Trump voice impersonator (possibly)
Steve Phelps and Kent Straith – Co-hosts of the tragically defunct Leading Questions with Calvin Moore
The Fertility Gap with Clara Piano
University of Mississippi economics professor Clara Piano joined the podcast to talk about the government’s role in pro-natal and pro-family policies, the ideal population size, the challenges of under/over-population, and ethical consumerism. She also enlightened us on the insanity of family policy in the Soviet Union and what it may have in common with policies advocated by some on the Right today.
On the Podcast
Conservative Conservationism with Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins—conservative strategist and Chief Operating Officer of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC)—drops by to explore how younger Americans on the Right are more open than ever to environmental reforms.
Paradigming Phenomenological Essences with Steven Hayward
Professor Steve Hayward—whose conservative credentials would take too long to even list by bullet-point—joined the podcast to nerd out on the definitions of conservatism and straussianism, and attempted to persuade me that I should take a more optimistic view of the Trump administration.
Outside of Saving Elephants
The Owen MacDonald Show
Owen MacDonald—who describes himself as a “very left wing person”—graciously had me on his show to debate the merits or mischief of the Woke Left. This mostly includes us trying to arrive at a definition of “woke” we can both agree on during the two-hour conversation.
What I’m Reading
It would seem a sacrilege to suggest that the book is better than the movie since Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part I and Part II—there’s only two movies, right?—may well be the greatest film set of all time. But the original book is quite good. And it fills in a lot of the blanks in the story depicted in the film to better explain character motivations and backstories. Despite Vito Corleone’s dire warning, the book does in fact tell everyone outside of the family what they were all thinking.
Apropos of Nothing
My cat Andie watching a squirrel eating birdseed out of a birdfeeder attached to the window. This is what the internet was created for people.
Let’s hear from you!
If you have no idea why you’re supposed to be triggered that Sydney Sweeney putting on a pair of jeans or that Cracker Barrel removed the cracker and the barrel from their logo, that probably makes you a better person than me. These days one can never be too careful not to lose sight of reality if they spend plenty of time catching up on the latest outrage online. So I’ll continue to try and pump out content that hopefully raises your hopes more than your blood pressure. How am I doing? Where could I improve? Or should I cut loose more often?