Common Sense:
Take 2
Two hundred and fifty years after Thomas Paine helped ordinary citizens think seriously about self-government, Common Sense: Take 2 revisits that tradition for a different democratic moment. Addressed to an exhausted majority of Americans, it examines why our democracy is under strain, why defeating MAGA alone will not be enough, and what a long-term, sequenced roadmap for renewing democracy and restoring our capacity to govern might require.
Russ Travers spent nearly five decades in federal service, including senior leadership roles in the Intelligence Community and the White House National Security Council, and now focuses on renewing democratic institutions and America’s capacity for self-government.
A Call to Renew Democracy
About the Book
Eight themes,
one argument.
The following themes form the foundation of Common Sense, Take 2 and explore why American democracy is struggling, why defeating MAGA alone will not be enough, and what long-term democratic renewal may require.
01
A Modern Echo of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Two hundred and fifty years after Thomas Paine helped ordinary citizens think seriously about self-government, Common Sense, Take Two revisits that tradition for a different democratic moment. Like Paine’s pamphlet, the book is written not only for political elites, but for an exhausted majority of Americans searching for a practical path forward.
02
Democracy as a Body Under Stress
The book uses the metaphor of a human body in multi-organ distress to explain the condition of American democracy. Institutions that once compensated for one another are now weakening simultaneously, leaving the democratic system less capable, less responsive, and more vulnerable to failure.
03
Trump as Symptom and Catalyst
Donald Trump did not create many of the structural weaknesses now threatening American democracy, but he exposed and accelerated them. The book argues that defeating MAGA is necessary, but insufficient unless the deeper institutional failures that enabled its rise are also addressed.
04
The Crisis of Governing Capacity
The central challenge facing the United States is not simply polarization, but the declining ability of democratic institutions to govern effectively. When government cannot solve problems people care about, trust erodes and democratic legitimacy weakens.
05
Congress as the Hinge of Renewal
The Constitution begins with Article I for a reason. The book argues that Congress sits at the center of the American system, and that meaningful democratic renewal ultimately depends on restoring its ability to legislate, deliberate, and oversee; unfortunately, Congressional dysfunction now imperils the American experiment.
06
Upstream and Downstream Reform
Restoring a functional Congress requires addressing upstream structural and civic problems first. State-level electoral reforms, healthier political incentives, and stronger civic understanding shape the kinds of leaders citizens elect. Only when those upstream conditions improve are we likely to produce a Congress capable of addressing the downstream issues Americans care most about.
07
Equality of Opportunity as the North Star
Democracies remain stable when citizens believe they have a fair chance to succeed. The book argues that renewing the American experiment requires restoring confidence that opportunity, dignity, and upward mobility remain attainable for ordinary people.
08
Renewal as a Generational Civic Project
Democratic renewal will not come from a single election, leader, or policy initiative. The book lays out a long-term roadmap for rebuilding institutions, strengthening civic culture, modernizing governance, and reengaging citizens in the ongoing work of self-government.
Photo: David Burnett
About the Author
Russell E.
Travers
Russ Travers is a retired senior civil servant whose five-decade career spanned eight presidential administrations. He received Presidential Rank Awards from Presidents Clinton and Trump, including recognition as one of the top one percent of leaders in the Senior Executive Service. Known for integrity and a commitment to good government, his intelligence community career focused on the defining national security threats of the past half-century: the USSR/Russia and terrorism.
He was part of the leadership team that created the National Counterterrorism Center and later served as its acting director. He also completed three senior tours at the White House National Security Council, most recently as Deputy Homeland Security Advisor in the Biden Administration.
Guided by his oath to the Constitution to defend against threats both foreign and domestic, Travers has turned his attention from foreign adversaries to the forces undermining America’s ability to govern itself. He now writes on democratic renewal and strengthening institutional capacity. In retirement, he divides his time between advancing those causes and playing pickleball.
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