Common Sense for America

Why Did a US Mayor Work for China?

The mayor of Arcadia, California just pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese Communist Party. An elected American official, spreading Beijing's propaganda from inside an American city. How did we get here? In this episode, I lay out both sides honestly the left's warnings about McCarthyism and the dangers of naming "internal enemies," and the right's evidence of real institutional infiltration, from Cold War espionage to today's university faculty ratios. Then I get to the real problem: we've confused the right to hold anti-American views with immunity from being called out for them. From the fall of Rome to Bill Ayers teaching at a major university, from Gramsci's "long march through the institutions" to the documented Arcadia case this is about what happens when nations stop believing they're worth defending, and what common sense says we do about it without becoming the thing we're fighting. 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for more Common Sense for America 👍 Like this video if it made you think 💬 Comment below: where's the line between legitimate critique and genuine anti-Americanism? #CommonSenseForAmerica #Arcadia #NationalSecurity #Politics

Benjamin Franklin’s Warning for America Is Happening Right Now

Benjamin Franklin left America with a warning that has echoed across nearly 250 years of history: "A republic, madam, if you can keep it." As America approaches its 250th birthday, that warning feels more relevant than ever. In this episode of Common Sense for America, Bruce Rutherford examines the growing divide between the country's founding principles and its modern political reality. Looking at arguments from both the left and the right, he asks a question that should concern every American: Have we kept the republic? Topics discussed in this episode: • Benjamin Franklin's famous challenge and what it means today • The Founders' structural failures and the constitutional system they created • Lincoln's warning that America's greatest threat would come from within • The debate over the Electoral College, Senate representation, and majority rule • The V-Dem Institute's downgrade of U.S. democratic standards • How Hugo Chavez transformed Venezuela from a democracy into an authoritarian state • Why constitutional safeguards were designed to slow political power • Independent redistricting, election integrity, and proposals for reform The Founders were imperfect men who created an imperfect system. Yet they also built a constitutional framework capable of correcting its own failures while preserving the stability of the republic. The question is not whether America faces challenges. The question is whether Americans still possess the civic courage required to preserve what previous generations built. Do you believe we are keeping the republic? Leave your thoughts in the comments. #BenjaminFranklin #Constitution #AmericanHistory #Politics #FoundingFathers #ElectoralCollege #Democracy #Republic #Lincoln #CommonSenseForAmerica

Benjamin Franklin’s Warning for America Is Happening Right Now

Benjamin Franklin left America with a warning that has echoed across nearly 250 years of history: "A republic, madam, if you can keep it." As America approaches its 250th birthday, that warning feels more relevant than ever. In this episode of Common Sense for America, Bruce Rutherford examines the growing divide between the country's founding principles and its modern political reality. Looking at arguments from both the left and the right, he asks a question that should concern every American: Have we kept the republic? Topics discussed in this episode: • Benjamin Franklin's famous challenge and what it means today • The Founders' structural failures and the constitutional system they created • Lincoln's warning that America's greatest threat would come from within • The debate over the Electoral College, Senate representation, and majority rule • The V-Dem Institute's downgrade of U.S. democratic standards • How Hugo Chavez transformed Venezuela from a democracy into an authoritarian state • Why constitutional safeguards were designed to slow political power • Independent redistricting, election integrity, and proposals for reform The Founders were imperfect men who created an imperfect system. Yet they also built a constitutional framework capable of correcting its own failures while preserving the stability of the republic. The question is not whether America faces challenges. The question is whether Americans still possess the civic courage required to preserve what previous generations built. Do you believe we are keeping the republic? Leave your thoughts in the comments. #BenjaminFranklin #Constitution #AmericanHistory #Politics #FoundingFathers #ElectoralCollege #Democracy #Republic #Lincoln #CommonSenseForAmerica

603 Americans Killed: Why Congress Must Vote on Iran

Bruce Rutherford breaks down the Iran debate that Washington doesn't want to have not left vs. right, but whether America has the unified will to finish what it started. In this episode: Why the 60-day War Powers clock expiring is a legitimate constitutional question — and why it's being used wrong The 40-year kill record: 241 Marines in Beirut, 603 troops in Iraq, 3 soldiers at Tower 22 — Iran's war on America by the numbers How Iranian state TV is using Senate hearings as propaganda and what Madison said about the sword and the purse Why a congressional resolution isn't a restriction on the Commander in Chief — it's the most powerful signal Washington can send The 4 non-negotiable exit conditions: IRGC disbanded, UN-supervised elections, full sanctions until a free government is certified This isn't about party. It's about whether American resolve means anything when an adversary is watching. 📌 Call your representative. Tell them to bring this to a vote. Follow the money. Follow the history. Not the narrative. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week.

How Political Rhetoric Fuels Violence — Both Sides Are Responsible

Three assassination attempts against a sitting president in less than two years. A third attacker apprehended in early 2026 with a published manifesto. An armed breach at the White House Correspondents' dinner. National security analysts now have a name for what's happening: the rhetoric-to-violence pipeline. Bruce Rutherford breaks down how both parties built this climate and what common sense demands we do before someone succeeds. What this episode covers: The documented pattern linking high-status political language to real-world violence The Right's case: coordinated dehumanization, fabricated narratives, and the comedian's sketch that aired two days before an attempt The Left's case: a president who called opponents "vermin," "enemies from within," and spent years contesting a court-rejected election claim Why Madison's warning about self-governance is more relevant now than ever One concrete step both sides can take today starting with how we cover the attackers This isn't a left problem or a right problem. It's a leadership problem. And it starts with the language we choose. Follow the money. Follow the history. Not the narrative. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly analysis that holds both parties accountable. #PoliticalRhetoric #AssassinationAttempts #BothSides #PoliticalViolence #CommonSenseForAmerica #BruceRutherford #PoliticalAccountability #MediaBias #AmericanPolitics #Democracy