Book Review: “A Return to Common Sense” by Leigh McGowan
A Common Sense Revolution?
Whenever someone combines the words “common sense” with the word “politics,” my hackles go up. It could be that I am a Canadian who lives in Ontario, and I’m old enough to remember ’90s Ontario Premier Mike Harris, who came to power with his Common Sense Revolution. His motto was to run government like a business. So that’s how tuition fees went up during his tenure — putting higher education much more out of reach for people such as me — and how the Ontario highway system got decimated. So, you’ll have to excuse me a little if I chafe at the mention of anything related to common sense in politics. Thankfully, author Leigh McGowan — who was, if I have this right, a Canadian who now lives in the United States — comes at common sense from a more liberal side. She is the type of person who MAGA types hate: someone who comes at explaining democracy in simple terms and all that has gone wrong with it.
A Return to Common Sense is one of those books being published in a glut leading up to the American election in November. It is trying to seize a moment and convince people just how democracy is at stake if we get another four years of Trump in office. McGowan offers six American principles to get the country back on track. Namely: 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. While McGowan admits that the Democratic Party isn’t perfect, it’s the only party worth voting for if one doesn’t want to see America go to hell in a handbasket quickly. To that end, McGowan covers everything from the stacking of the Supreme Court to gerrymandering to filibustering used in the U.S. Senate as proof of everyday ills in American society.
Now, a book such as A Return to Common Sense is critic-proof. You’re probably either going to agree with this in full or be a stanch MAGA-loving troll who will find nothing good within its covers. Thus, McGowan is practically preaching to those who would vote Democrat to get them to register to vote. Now, as a Canadian, I found the book instructive. I learned a fair bit about the inner workings of the American political system. Thus, I imagine Americans who haven’t taken a civics class would find much food for thought here. That said, and at the risk of repeating myself, this book draws clear party lines, even if its author is trying to be non-partisan. A Return to Common Sense is aimed at the apolitical to command them to do something to fix the broken political system. And that begins with voting in every election, not just the presidential ones. Whether this book succeeds will depend on how many people take in its call to action and, you know, act on it.
There are probably nuances I’m missing with this treatise. Again, I’m a Canadian, and while we have our Freedom Convoy crowd to rival the MAGA types, a lot of this book felt foreign to me. After all, the political leader in our country who wins the popular vote tends to form a majority government, which is not necessarily the case in the States because, you know, the Electoral College. However, I will say that McGowan does a phenomenal job explaining how politics works in the U.S. of A. Everyone should be able to grasp what the author is getting at quickly. If you’re the type of person who finds politics to be confusing, well, consider this book to be your new best friend. That’s just about all that needs to be said, aside from the fact that you’re either going to agree with everything in this work or you won’t. Consider this a particularly long newspaper op-ed piece similar to what Michael Moore does with his film documentaries.
All in all, I would recommend reading this book if you want to get a sense of just how screwed the American political system is. I do agree with the author on several points — mainly that a new constitutional amendment needs to be thrown at the Second Amendment to prevent people from shooting up crowded movie theatres and the ilk. However, why are you reading this book if you disagree with the author? Ultimately, this is a volume for liberals who might be inclined to throw up their hands at how f’ed the system is and not want to vote — which is what this book is imploring people to do. Let’s hope enough people read this and do as its author commands so Americans don’t embarrass themselves by voting twice for the same biggest loser.
Leigh McGowan’s A Return to Common Sense: How to Fix America Before We Really Blow It will be published by Atria / One Signal Publishers / Simon & Schuster on September 17, 2024.
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Get in touch: zacharyhoule@rogers.com
