Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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- Opinion
‘If I Can Do It, You Can Do It,’ Business Owner and Navy Veteran Says
Clement Troutman, a Navy veteran and Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisee in Maryland, says that “the free enterprise system is alive and well.” But, Troutman adds, “we need to really pursue that and go and chase those dreams.” “Because there are people waiting,” the restaurateur says. “The cures for cancer are out there, and, you know,…Samantha Aschieris -
- Opinion
Slavery Poisons Solar Industry’s Supply Chains
Behind those harmless-looking solar panels harnessing the sun’s power lies a disturbing secret: Roughly 80% of solar components are manufactured in China using slave labor. Not only have the buyers of solar panels been indirectly funding companies that use slave labor, but American taxpayers also have subsidized almost $37 billion in purchases between 2016 and 2022. Globally, even international…Miles Pollard -
- Opinion
Pirates in California? In 2023? The Coast Guard to the Rescue!
The city of Oakland, California, is dealing with pirates—not as a fantastical feature of a new Disney film, but as a genuine feature of liberal policies and weak district attorneys in American cities. They are not the sort of pirates swinging from ropes aboard tall ships like in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but instead are…James Di Pane -
- Opinion
Debunking the False Narratives About Sanctuary Cities
I am glad to see that most of the GOP presidential primary challengers are talking about the need to end and outlaw sanctuary polices in the United States. I wish they would go a step further and explain why sanctuary policies are bad for public safety, officer safety, and border security. The American people need…Thomas Homan -
- Opinion
Hitler’s Heir Apparent: Islamic Nazism
“In every generation they arise to annihilate us.” That statement appears in the Haggadah, the book read from at the Passover Seder. The book is about 1,000 years old; the statement is more than 2,000 years old. A generation or two ago, it was the Nazis who arose to annihilate the Jews. In this generation,…Dennis Prager -
- Opinion
More Research Refutes Efficacy of Masks Against COVID-19
As flu—and coronavirus—season approaches, Dr. Anthony Fauci is again saying that wearing face masks protects individuals from spreading the coronavirus. Some colleges and hospitals are reinstating mask mandates. Politics and the fear of coronavirus may have held sway the past few years, but common sense and rational science need to prevail now. Masks are ineffective,…S. Stanley Young -
- Opinion
How This Small Business Owner’s Frustrations Led Her to Serve in Public Office
Ellen Troxclair says she never intended to run for public office. She was busy growing her small real estate business in Texas, but grew frustrated by the high property taxes that were keeping buyers out of the market. Troxclair ran for public office, becoming the youngest-ever elected woman, and lone conservative, on the Austin City…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Rhode Island Town Defies Mob, Erects Columbus Statue
If we really want to make America great again, we need to elevate what is good and noble about us and defy those who insist on tearing down our past. On Monday, designated as Columbus Day, the town of Johnston, Rhode Island, unveiled a statue of Christopher Columbus in a local park. A few protesters…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
How Federal HR Departments Stymied Conservative Hires
Human resources departments at federal agencies tried to stymie conservative hires, even under a conservative president, according to a former Trump administration official and president of the think tank the American Main Street Initiative. That’s one reason there is a strong leftward tilt in the federal bureaucracy. “We’re supposed to be a nation of free,…Lucy Gilbert -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Proposed Rule Allows Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to Cover Abortions, GOP Women Warn
FIRST IN THE DAILY SIGNAL: Republican congresswomen are calling on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to revise its proposed rule allowing for abortions to be covered under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. In a letter first obtained by The Daily Signal, Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Mary Miller of Illinois wrote to EEOC…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Why Does NPR Want Courts to Defer to Executive Agencies?
Age is not coextensive with legal merit where judicial opinions are concerned. As then-Justice Antonin Scalia remarked, longevity “alone does not make up for brazen invention” and weeds become no less weedlike simply by deepening their roots. So, when outlets like National Public Radio report with alarm that “The Supreme Court … could overturn a…Jack Fitzhenry -
- News
Jordan vs. Scalise: House Republicans Set to Nominate McCarthy Successor
Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma took himself out of the running for speaker of the House over the weekend, leaving fellow Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana to battle it out for the speaker’s gavel. “I’m going to step aside and let them give their best case why they should…Sara Garstka -
- Opinion
Planned Parenthood Turns Its Attention to Confused Adolescents Who Think They’re Trans
For Planned Parenthood, June is the cruelest month. Last year, on June 24, at the end of a blockbuster Supreme Court term, the high court issued its landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. That ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and clarified once and for all that the Constitution did not, in fact,…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
Hollywood’s Oppenheimer Biopic a Historical Travesty
Writer-director Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster, the biopic “Oppenheimer,” has grossed nearly $1 billion in global ticket sales, a staggering number including over $320 million from North American theaters and over $600 million internationally. That’s far better box office than other films Hollywood had counted on to offset the devastating, five-month strike by the Writers Guild…Allan Ryskind -
- Opinion
What History Teaches Us About Civility
Alexandra Hudson adapted the following excerpt from her new book, “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” which was released today. The ousting of the House speaker last week has the commentariat in Washington using a word we hear a lot of these days: “unprecedented.” We hear this all the time,…Alexandra Hudson -
- Opinion
Survey Shows How Americans Would Make the ‘American Dream’ Great Again
The United States in 2023 feels a lot like the "malaise" of the latter years of Jimmy Carter's presidency in the late 1970s. Amid persistent inflation and stagnating wages, Americans struggle to claw themselves out of the muck while the cost of everything from milk and eggs to cars and mortgages seems to bury them…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
Alexandra Hudson’s Cure for Incivility
At a time when America faces innumerable challenges, Alexandra Hudson wants her fellow citizens to focus on something only they can control: civility toward others. Hudson’s new book, “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” is on sale today. She joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about something why civility…Robert B. Bluey -
- News
Flipping Kansas Blue? Governor Struck Deal With Left-Wing Groups Likely to Drive Up Democrat Vote
Well before President Joe Biden’s executive order pushing federal agencies to meddle in elections, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly worked with the group that orchestrated the president’s strategy. Kelly, a Democrat, began negotiating a deal in 2019 with New York-based liberal advocacy group Demos. A year later, in December 2020, Devos would draft the parameters of…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
She Chose Adoption at 16, Now Tells Her Story Alongside Son and His Mother
Erin Boggs was 16 in 1992 when she learned she was pregnant. “I was scared, definitely kind of alone,” Boggs says. “So, I knew the decision was going to land on me solely, and it felt like a critically important decision.” Boggs says people around her suggested she could parent or abort, but no one…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Chief Judges of DC’s Local Courts Must Answer for Questionable Conduct
Judges are supposed to be impartial, and they’re supposed to appear impartial, too. That means that generally judges cannot comment on matters that might appear before them—especially the constitutionality of any pending or enacted legislation. It’s why Supreme Court nominees routinely refuse to comment on a variety of matters during their Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation…Zack Smith