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
The Feds and These 37 States Hit Parents With Marriage Penalties
Marriage is increasingly rare among younger American adults. Back in 1970, 83% of Americans aged 25 to 34 were married. Today, only 41% in that age range are married. And as marriage has fallen out of favor, fewer and fewer children are growing up in married, two-parent homes—and fewer babies are being born at all…. -
opinion
When Reporters Get Cozy With Their Democratic Pals
Anyone watching the TV coverage of President Joe Biden can sense the chumminess between the president and the pro-Biden press. But you don’t always see the friendships behind the scenes. On Oct. 5, Politico’s daily Playbook newsletter touted a dinner to “celebrate White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.” In addition to a bevy of powerful… -
opinion
Two Dueling Court Rulings on Parental Notification in California. What Happens Next?
A Southern California school district requires teachers and staff to notify parents when their children say they have been bullied, are considering self-harm, or decide to publicly identify as a gender opposite their biological sex at school. But California’s Democratic attorney general, Rob Bonta, sued the district to block that policy, claiming that it violates… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: President’s Watchdog Nominee May ‘Run to Hunter Biden’s Rescue,’ Chuck Grassley Warns
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, co-founder of the Senate’s Whistleblower Caucus, is raising concerns about President Joe Biden’s choice to run the government’s Office of Special Counsel. Biden on Tuesday nominated Hampton Dellinger, a former colleague of first son Hunter Biden at the Washington law firm of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, to… -
opinion
The Job Ahead for Next House Speaker
The removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday was historic, but now it’s time to talk about the future, one knowledgeable Capitol Hill watcher says. “We are at a critical juncture in this country,” says Ryan Walker, executive vice president of Heritage Action for America, an independent, nonprofit… -
opinion
Oakland Crime Map Paints Troubling Picture
The crime map for Oakland, California, provides a telling glimpse into the reality that locals there live with on a daily basis. The colored dots indicate incidents of car thefts, assaults, drug-related crimes, robberies, and so on that have taken place in and around Oakland the previous week. The map is an indicator of what… -
opinion
Even Starbucks Is Failing in Crime-Ridden San Francisco
First, Whole Foods closed and now Starbucks is shuttering a slew of locations in San Francisco. The Seattle coffee giant announced Tuesday that it would close seven of its 59 locations in the city, effective Oct. 22. The city’s “doom loop” is speeding up. Starbucks didn’t mention crime in its official reason for leaving the… -
news
Scalise Announces Speaker Bid, While Hern Privately Gauges Support for Bid
Update: Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has officially announced he's running to be the next House speaker. Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern of Oklahoma are privately gauging support for potential speakership bids after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s ousting Tuesday, a person familiar with their actions… -
opinion
Go Ahead, Shut It Down!
This week, Republicans and Democrats got together to avert a government shutdown. Too bad. There’s so much that ought to be shut down. Useless Cabinet departments, for example, like Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Agriculture. Agriculture employs almost 100,000 people. Why? Independent farmers grow our food. They don’t need a giant department. Let’s get… -
news
Florida Law Allowing Death Penalty for Child Rapists Goes Into Effect
Florida’s new law permitting the death penalty for pedophiles went into effect this week, the state’s governor announced Tuesday evening. “Florida’s law allowing the death penalty for child rapists is now in effect,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a post on social media. “The minimum sentence is life in prison without parole. In Florida, anyone… -
opinion
Is America Nearing Fall of Rome Status?
America’s financial mismanagement has gotten so bad that some say our country’s decline is now inevitable, drawing parallels to the Roman Empire’s collapse. That comparison is unfair for two reasons. First, Rome had good roads that lasted over a millennium. Second, and more seriously, America has changed course before and hopefully still has time to do so… -
news
Jim Jordan Announces Bid for Speakership
Congressman Jim Jordan is officially running for speaker of the House of Representatives, the congressman’s office confirmed to The Daily Signal Wednesday. The Ohio Republican’s confirmation comes just one day after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. Eight Republicans and all Democrats present voted to remove McCarthy, who has said that he will not run again for speaker…. -
opinion
How Project 2025 Is Gearing Up for Next Conservative Presidential Administration
New leadership is needed in America, says Spencer Chretien, associate director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, also known as Project 2025. “We see every day the effects of the current administration, whether it’s the open southern border, rampant inflation, a woke and weaponized government, foreign policy disaster,” he says. “And we need new leadership… -
opinion
Speaker McCarthy Has Been Ousted as House Speaker. So What Happens Next?
A political earthquake happened Tuesday night. The fallout from Saturday’s unsatisfying status quo budget deal came swiftly as the House voted to oust the speaker in the middle of a term for the first time in U.S. history. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was deposed by eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove him. The vote was… -
news
BREAKING: McCarthy Rules Out Second House Speaker Bid
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as House speaker earlier Tuesday, says he will not run again to be House speaker. “I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in—and I believe in America. It has been an honor to serve,” McCarthy posted on X, the platform formerly known… -
opinion
How Would Frederick Douglass Regard Today’s Left?
Frederick Douglass was one of the greatest Americans who ever lived. This man began life as an illiterate slave—nearly all slave owners prevented slaves from learning to read—and rose from slavery to become, along with Abraham Lincoln, the greatest orator of his time and one of the wisest and most eloquent writers in U.S. history…. -
opinion
Congressman’s Carjacking Suggests DC’s Home Rule Is a 50-Year Failure
The national crime wave has crashed into Congress. A House Democrat was the victim of a carjacking in Washington, D.C., on Monday night. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was reportedly carjacked by three men brandishing guns. The incident took place in the Navy Yard section of the city, just blocks away from the Capitol. This is… -
news
State Department First Denies Iranian Spy Infiltration, Then Confirms Ongoing Investigation
The Biden administration doesn’t “have any reason to believe” that Iran infiltrated the State Department, an agency spokesman said. During a press conference Monday, spokesman Matthew Miller first said no evidence suggests an Iranian influence network had infiltrated the State Department, then immediately confirmed that an investigation into Rob Malley, the department’s special envoy for Iran, is… -
opinion
Why Gavin Newsom Is Fascinated by Conservative Media
California Gov. Gavin Newsom engages with a considerable amount of conservative media daily and has called for Democrats to “infect” it in order to persuade voters. “The California governor consumes more right-wing media than most people who aren’t either retired or named Donald J. Trump,” said reporter Max Tani in a piece for the news… -
opinion
WATCH: Inside Defamation Lawsuit That Could Blow Southern Poverty Law Center Wide Open
The Southern Poverty Law Center is notorious for branding mainstream conservative and Christian organizations, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom and Moms for Liberty “hate groups” or “antigovernment extremist groups,” placing them on a map alongside chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. Many of the SPLC’s targets have sued for defamation, but almost every lawsuit…