
A Return to Common Sense
How to Fix America Before We Really Blow It
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Narrated by:
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Leigh McGowan
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By:
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Leigh McGowan
About this listen
A political book for non-political people from viral TikTok sensation PoliticsGirl.
Something’s gone wrong in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. We can all feel it, but if we’re being honest, most of us don’t understand it. At the end of the day, we don’t have all the facts, and if you don’t know how something works, how do you fix it?
A Return to Common Sense is a concise, no-nonsense, dare we say fun, guide to how America works and a roadmap to reclaiming a government of, by, and for the people.
If we truly want to be a land of freedom and opportunity where everyone has a shot at a good life, we must acknowledge the ideals of America are in danger, but worth saving. We fought a revolutionary war for the idea of self-governance and pursuit of happiness—we can’t just give up on it now.
To address the crisis, Leigh McGowan offers Six American Principles. Six ideals, rooted in history, that we can all agree make America, America.
1. America is a land of freedom.
2. Everyone should have the opportunity to rise.
3. Every citizen should have a vote, and that vote should count.
4. Representatives should represent the people who elected them.
5. The law applies to all of us.
6. Government should be a force for good.
Using the Six Principles as guideposts, this book will lay out suggestions for America, to not only find its way out of the mess it’s currently in, but to set a course for a future of which we can all be truly proud.
It’s time to find the courage to step out of our comfort zones and off our team benches to reboot America. If we start here, we start strong.
We can fix this, but the way forward starts with understanding.
©2024 Leigh McGowan (P)2024 Simon & Schuster AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump accountable for inciting the political violence.
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Must reading/listening for every American who has despaired of losing our democracy.
- By Shirley Anderson on 01-06-22
By: Jamie Raskin
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Democracy Awakening
- Notes on the State of America
- By: Heather Cox Richardson
- Narrated by: Heather Cox Richardson
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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At a time when the very foundations of American democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past offer a road map for navigating a moment of political crisis. In Democracy Awakening, acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy, tracing the roots of Donald Trump’s “authoritarian experiment” to the earliest days of the republic.
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We’d be in a much better position if everyone read this
- By Jeffrey Schwartz on 10-01-23
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Renegade
- Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country
- By: Adam Kinzinger, Michael D'Antonio - contributor
- Narrated by: Adam Kinzinger
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump incited a violent mob to storm the US Capitol in attempts to overturn the presidential election. It was a betrayal of our Constitution, and one of the darkest days in recent history. Yet to former congressman Adam Kinzinger it was also the culmination of a cultural and political rupture he’d long seen coming. Constructive criticism from within the Republican Party was no longer enough. It was time to stand up, even if it meant betraying his own party.
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Critical Work
- By Red P on 11-02-23
By: Adam Kinzinger, and others
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Trust
- America's Best Chance
- By: Pete Buttigieg
- Narrated by: Pete Buttigieg
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Recognizing that we are now experiencing disastrous consequences, the former South Bend mayor offers a direct reckoning with the corruption of social responsibility, interweaving history, political philosophy, and affecting passages of memoir, offering a new outlook for how we can confront the next decade’s challenges by building accountability. In this urgent work, Buttigieg confirms his status as a visionary political thinker.
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Incredible!
- By Kathy Barton on 10-06-20
By: Pete Buttigieg
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Minority Rule
- The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People - and the Fight to Resist It
- By: Ari Berman
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, represented an extreme form of the central danger facing American democracy today: a blatant disregard for the will of the majority. Through voter suppression, election subversion, gerrymandering, dark money, the takeover of the courts, and the whitewashing of history, reactionary white conservatives have strategically entrenched power in the face of a massive demographic and political shift.
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SO much great information!
- By CharlieSeymourJr on 05-01-24
By: Ari Berman
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Ministry of Truth
- Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past
- By: Steve Benen
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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For as long as historical records have existed, authoritarian regimes have tried to rewrite history to suit their purposes, using their dictatorial powers to create myths, spread propaganda, justify decisions, erase opponents, and even dispose of crimes. Today, as America’s Republican Party becomes increasingly radicalized, it’s not surprising to see the GOP read from a similarly despotic script. Indeed, the party is taking dangerous, aggressive steps to rewrite history—and not just from generations past.
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Reinforced long held suspicions
- By Dennis M Olson Jr on 08-18-24
By: Steve Benen
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American Reckoning
- Inside Trump’s Trial—and My Own
- By: Jonathan Alter
- Narrated by: Jonathan Alter
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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As one of a handful of journalists allowed in the courtroom, for 23 days Jonathan Alter sat just feet away from the most dangerous threat to democracy in American history, watching the spectacle of the century: the felony trial of Donald Trump. Highly publicized but untelevised and thus largely hidden from public view, this landmark trial offered hope of real justice amid a grueling eight-year national ordeal and foreshadowed the drama of the 2024 presidential election.
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Good book
- By jeffrey on 03-23-25
By: Jonathan Alter
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Where Tyranny Begins
- The Justice Department, the FBI, and the War on Democracy
- By: David Rohde
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In Where Tyranny Begins, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde investigates the strategies Trump systematically used to turn the country's two most powerful law-enforcement agencies into his personal political weapons. Rohde also reveals how, during the Biden years, Justice Department non-partisan 1970s norms that Attorney General Merrick Garland reinforced inadvertently helped Trump, and could fail to deliver a trial and legal accountability by Election Day 2024.
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Review of why we fired trump
- By ludlow on 09-24-24
By: David Rohde
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The Hidden History of the American Dream
- The Demise of the Middle Class—and How to Rescue Our Future
- By: Thom Hartmann
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The widening wealth gap is all too familiar to many Millennials and GenZers, especially when home ownership and the lack of debt seem like faraway fantasies. And it's no surprise when they only hold about 4.6% of the country's wealth while Boomers held 22% at around the same age. So what happened to the promise of the American Dream? In this entry of his celebrated Hidden History series, Thom Hartmann uncovers the rise of the American middle class through the progressive policies of FDR, through to its downfall with the increasing privatization and economic deregulations of the Reagan era.
By: Thom Hartmann
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The Conspiracy to End America
- Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy
- By: Stuart Stevens
- Narrated by: Jeff Bottoms
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Today’s Republican party is not a “normal” political party in the American tradition. It has become an autocratic movement masquerading as a political party. As Stuart Stevens argues in The Conspiracy to End America, if we look away from that truth, we greatly increase the likelihood that the America we love will slip away, never to return.
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Required Reading
- By Arturo Zendejas on 10-27-23
By: Stuart Stevens
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Autocracy, Inc.
- The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
- By: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Anne Applebaum
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran.
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A Triumphant Work -Puts It All Together With Laser Clarity
- By Sjhoffman on 09-19-24
By: Anne Applebaum
What listeners say about A Return to Common Sense
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- Sarah Leah Britz
- 09-30-24
Politics is Our Business
loved the way you explained the American system of governance in a clear concisive way, but drawing our attention as to it's pitfalls and how we can go about changing it. this book comes at a very important time in American and world history, voters are encouraged to go beneath the surface and examine the facts is an open minded way. my husband is American, I'm not, so having read this book has given me a whole new understanding of America. a must read for every voter in the US! Sarah.
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- Cbulater
- 10-18-24
Politics explained in a straightforward manner
Leigh McGowen has accomplished her research and explained brilliantly how we need to return to common sense in politics.
The need for a review of what this country has fought for, a review of civic governance, and the passionate commitment to keep our democracy is palpable. To say I loved it would be an understatement. I certainly would take the time to read this again. I highly recommend this book. It is a message every American should hear and absorb.
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- Alexis
- 10-05-24
simplicity
The layout and organization of this book makes federal government easy to understand if you need a recap. each of the six principles are laid out with a foundation of what it is, how it was messed up, and what can be done to improve when it comes to saving democracy in America. A must read for understanding and saving democracy.
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- Kaity L.
- 11-01-24
The chapter on the danger of our Supreme Court. Chilling.
This piece of work is thought provoking and a great reminder to learn more about my dear Country and our Government.
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- Papa S.
- 10-16-24
A Champion of Democracy
Leigh is a great champion of the Middle Class and the protector of our Democracy!
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- Retired Veteran
- 10-07-24
Very enlightening
I really appreciate the well studied subject, especially the analysis of the period since I took American Government in school (70s). Thank you for the thorough explanation and I think all new voters should be required to take a Civics class before being allowed to vote. We encourage people to register and vote without making sure they understand what and who they are voting for or against.
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- Victoria
- 09-26-24
A Must Read for Anyone in the USA
This was an excellent, balanced look at the history and current status of the government of the USA.
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- Ruth
- 09-26-24
A Plan to save Democracy with Civics.
Leigh McGowan has a great podcast- PoliticGirls- that is a must listen-to. She have release a great book!!! It tells us how to "Fix America" using 6 principles. The books is interjected with American 101 that provide a Civic/ history lesson. This is a great refresher on American Government and I learned about what my school days didn't teach me. This is must read if you want to learn how to save America using the broken system that we have today.
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- Mike Pasquarella
- 10-17-24
The warning that faces us today.
I like the sense of optimism mixed with fear that the author left me with. I am concerned though that the efforts that need to be taken will come either too late or will occur too slowly to make any difference in our lifetime, Then again, I'm a pessimist.
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- B. White
- 11-15-24
Perfect for real patriots!
Leigh knows what she is talking about. She’s smart, she researches, and she really wants this country to be the best we can be instead of the sliding down the fascist direction we are currently on. If you aren’t a fan of her Politics Girl posts and videos, you will be!
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