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A Return to Common Sense: Seven Bold Ways to Revitalize Democracy [Hardcover]

Michael Waldman
2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Book Description

June 1, 2008

"Waldman's book is a call to arms, which everyone who cares about our democratic system should read, absorb, debate, and then use as a signpost for change."
- Doris Kearns Goodwin

"With Thomas Paine's gift for brilliant brevity, Michael Waldman tells us exactly what's wrong with our democracy and exactly how to fix it in the time it takes to watch a movie."
- Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, author of The Defining Moment

IMAGINE AN AMERICA IN WHICH a vast number of people routinely vote; where voting is easy, accessible to all, and fair; in which campaigns know they cannot win by dividing slivers of the electorate, but by energizing large numbers behind their plans and ideas.

This America is Seven Steps Away.

A Return to Common Sense presents the Brennan Center report on the most critical flaws in our current democratic process and the bold reforms that will revitalize our nation.

  • End Voter Registration as We Know It
  • Fix Electronic Voting
  • Increase Voter Turnout
  • Campaign Finance Reform
  • End Partisan Gerrymandering
  • End the Electoral College
  • Curb the Imperial Presidency and Fix Congress

A Return to Common Sense is a passionate call for change, a road map for restoring the vision of the Founding Fathers and renewing the great spirit of America where the people run the government and the government works for the people.

"Seven eminently practical suggestions that cut to the heart of how politics actually works in this country— and that promise reforms which can actually work."
- Sean Wilentz, Princeton University, author of The Rise of American Democracy

"Michael Waldman's book is a clarion call for reinvigorating voter participation and other key aspects of our democracy."
- Representative John Conyers, Jr., member of Congress


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this slim manifesto, former chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, Waldman (My Fellow Americans) offers his prescriptions for purifying American democracy, invoking Thomas Paine's credo that "the government depends for its legitimacy entirely on the consent of the governed." The author spotlights seven key reforms-from wide-scale election reform (mandating universal voter registration; halting disenfranchisement of voters due to political party maneuvering or irrelevant crime records; ensuring electronic voting machines are not rigged or malfunctioning) to cleaning up politics (ending gerrymandering; retiring the Electoral College) to restoring balance within government (ending the imperial presidency, ratcheting up the watchdog function of Congress). Waldman keeps his book refreshingly nonpartisan, concentrating his energies on fusing abstract idealism with sensible suggestions informed by his extensive knowledge of how to push through specific reforms. The book is timely during a presidential election year, but transcends a fleeting election to offer wisdom for getting and keeping a democracy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Michael Waldman is the executive director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, the nation's premier think tank and advocacy organization focusing on democracy. He was the chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton from 1995–1999. Waldman lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks (June 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402213654
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402213656
  • Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.4 x 6.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,234,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Some good thoughts but... May 17, 2009
Format:Hardcover
Written by a former speech writer for President Bill Clinton, "A Return to Common Sense" features a series of suggestions for how to improve democracy in America. His seven suggestions are:

1. End Voter Registration as We Know It.
2. Rocking the Vote. (issues such as voter ID, changing election day, changing the primary system.)
3. Stop Political Hacking. (use electronic voting machines but with scan-tron type backups.)
4. Campaign Finance Reform (public financing based on the NYC model)
5. Gerrymandering (stop the creation of "safe" districts for both Democrats and Republicans)
6. Flunk the Electoral College (recommends not changing the Constitution but rather going around it at a state level)
7. Restore Checks and Balances (more Congressional oversight of the Executive branch)

I have no problem with many of these suggestions but Waldman is a bit simplistic in some of his recommendations. For example, he suggests a national voter registration system but has no plans for how local election officials should deal with local registrations.

He bemoans the fact that fundraising is so important to the modern Congress and the election system that demands an endless supply of funds. He also is bothered that Congress does not do enough to oversee the Executive Branch (with some justification, in my opinion) but on page 128 belittles the efforts of Congress to investigate the Clinton Administration's use of White House Christmas Cards to fundraise. Huh, you'd think he'd be all for oversight and limiting fundraising...

Interestingly, he is very excited about Congressional oversight over the Executive and never worried about the growing power of the court system in "creating " law.

His recommendations on changing the election day, the way we create Congressional distructs, having paper backups for electronic elections, campaign finance reform and increasing Congressional oversight have value. On the other hand, his suggestions for the other problems are, quite often, silly and should be dismissed out of hand.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Watch him on CPAN February 8, 2009
Format:Hardcover
Just saw this guy on C-SPAN. Not a towering intellect. An example: says the reasons we have the electoral college is that the founding fathers were not smart enough to set up a national election, and that it didn't really matter anyway since everyone knew George Washington was going to win. I always thought it had to do with the process of getting 13 independent states to give up some of their sovereignty to a national government.

The ideas here are nothing new, just old ideas presented in an annoying manner. Save your money and watch the video on CSPAN.
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