IN 1776 THOMAS PAINE, a traitorous Englishman living in the American colonies, published a seditious 47-page pamphlet. Called “Common Sense”, it became a best-seller. It argued that the colonies ...

Will Donald Trump, who says he “runs the world” and approved a picture of himself with a crown above the caption “Long Live the King,” soon have Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet, “Common Sense,” banned.

The idea of "common sense" has been central to American politics since the founding of the United States. Politicians still use the phrase all the time — perhaps none more so than Donald Trump. The ...

In the 18th century, philosopher James Beattie compiled a list of 17 common-sense beliefs. A few are incontrovertible: “I exist”; “A whole is greater than a part”; “Virtue and vice are different”. But ...

The phrase appeals more to several demographics that strongly align with Trump, says Republican strategist Frank Luntz, including older voters, for whom he suggests it signals "a more simple past." ...