Political Commentary & Opinion

Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
Filter articles by
    • News

    15 Republicans Suddenly Flip Their Speaker Votes to McCarthy in Latest Rounds of Voting

    Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is inching closer to the speaker of the House position after 15 Republicans changed their votes in his favor on Friday. They include: Scott Perry of Pennsylvania Ralph Norman of South Carolina Andrew Clyde of Georgia Dan Bishop of North Carolina Anna Paulina Luna of Florida Chip Roy of Texas Victoria…
    Samantha Aschieris
    Read More
    • Opinion

    From Gender Gingerbread Persons to ‘Privilege Bingo,’ Feds Squander Millions on Cult of Diversity Training

    Taxpayer dollars are being spent to conduct widespread, woke diversity training sessions across numerous prominent federal agencies. That’s what a Wall Street Journal report on a Freedom of Information Act request revealed Dec. 30. The information gathered comes from 2021. At this point, it’s difficult to be surprised by the findings, but it’s still notable….
    Jarrett Stepman
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Kevin McCarthy Drama Underscores Impotence of Republican Elite

    After Republicans clinched their narrower-than-expected new House majority in November’s midterm elections, the only relevant questions for Congress-watchers seemed to pertain to what Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s, R-Calif., impending House speakership would look like. To what extent, if any, would he return House rules to “regular order,” whereby bills are drafted and marked up in decentralized…
    Josh Hammer
    Read More
    • Opinion

    The Rise of the ‘Fauxcahontas’

    In the eyes of the modern Left, suffering is a virtue. For them, the greatest thing a human being can achieve is to be a victim. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that opportunistic leftists, hoping to achieve clout in their social circles doling out cachet to the downtrodden, have begun to embellish or…
    Douglas Blair
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Why What’s Happening on Capitol Hill Is ‘a Healthy Process’

    The speaker of the House has yet to be chosen after three days and 11 rounds of voting. So, how long can this go on? “That’s a great question, and I think one that many in Washington, D.C., are contemplating—us, people on the Hill, staff members of members themselves. But the short answer is it…
    Samantha Aschieris
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Louisiana’s Bold Action to Protect Minors From Porn

    Here’s a good news story to start off 2023: In Louisiana, it’s now harder for minors to access porn sites.   Thanks to a law passed in 2022 that went into effect Jan. 1, porn sites now are required to ask visitors who live in Louisiana to prove their age via a system, called LA Wallet, that…
    Katrina Trinko
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Fact-Checking 5 Fibs From Biden’s Border Speech

    For about 20 minutes on Thursday, President Joe Biden suddenly pretended to care about the crisis at our southern border that his administration caused.  The Biden administration rolled out a new plan to expand the parole process for Venezuelans to Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Cubans; fast-track (many illegitimate) asylum cases at the border even more; and…
    Erin Dwinell
    Read More
    • News

    Here’s Why Kevin McCarthy’s Bid for House Speaker Remains Up in Air as Conservatives Push Back

    The next speaker of the House has yet to be chosen as about 20 conservative Republicans continued to oppose Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid Thursday, when he lost the seventh ballot early in the afternoon. “There were more conversations last night. I think that Leader McCarthy knows that he doesn’t have the votes, that…
    Samantha Aschieris
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Torrent of Taxes Sends New Yorkers Fleeing on Southbound Expressway

    How the mighty have fallen. The latest Census Bureau data show the Empire State’s population drain continues, as people flee New York in droves. From July 2021 to July 2022, 300,000 more people moved out of the state than moved in. New York had the largest population loss—in both percentage and absolute terms—experienced by any…
    EJ Antoni
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Enough’s Enough. It’s Time to Take Back Our Streets From Criminals.

    The streets of America are in chaos. Amidst the chaos, young people are taking advantage of the situation to loot and destroy stores, with no regard for the safety of others. Videos of these ruthless thieves have gone viral, showing them ransacking stores and taking whatever they can get their hands on. The cost of…
    Armstrong Williams
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Shoe Brand Crocs Sponsors Drag Fashion Show With Kids

    Yet another brand has fallen to the woke agenda. RuPaul’s DragCon UK announced that the beloved American brand Crocs, famous for its comfortable casual shoes, is cosponsoring and promoting a drag show with children at an upcoming event in London.  An Instagram post by RuPaul’s DragCon encouraging “all kids under 18” to report to the…
    Kristen Eichamer
    Read More
    • Opinion

    A Little Rebellion in House Speaker’s Race Is Good Thing

    Democracy is messy. Who knew? The race to become speaker of the House, as of this writing, is in the sixth round of voting, making it one of the most contentious speaker’s races in decades. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, and many assumed that Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would win…
    Jarrett Stepman
    Read More
    • News

    7 Big Fights for Speaker of the House

    Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s tough climb to the speakership seems rare in the modern era, but brawls over the top House job are not uncommon historically.  After voters decided which party would control the House, the elected lawmakers battled in 14 instances when electing a speaker required multiple ballots.  But it was a century ago—1923—when a…
    Fred Lucas
    Read More
    • Opinion

    Good Riddance to 10 of the Faces of 2022

    With all due respect to the late, great Frank Sinatra, it cannot be said of 2022 that “it was a very good year.” To the contrary, to borrow from the title of a children’s book, 2022 was in many ways “a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad” year. But 2023 holds out promise to be…
    Peter Parisi
    Read More
    • News

    Abbott Says Texas Will Secure Its Border in ‘Federal Government’s Absence’

    Razor wire, an expanded border wall, and law enforcement—welcome to 2023 and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s plans to further secure the southern border.    Abbott wrote on Twitter earlier this week, “Texas National Guard are installing additional layers of razor wire in high-traffic areas for illegal crossings at the Texas-Mexico border. They’re working around the…
    Virginia Allen
    Read More
    • Opinion

    The Death of Eternal Truths and the New Paganism

    Last week, Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95, nearly a decade after stepping down as head of the Catholic Church. His life was marked by adherence to a belief in an eternal truth above all. As he stated in a 2008 meeting with Catholic educators at the Catholic University of America, “Truth…
    Ben Shapiro
    Read More
    • News

    BREAKING: Virginia AG Launches Investigation of Fairfax School Caught Withholding Students’ Merit Awards

    Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Wednesday that prosecutors will investigate one of the state's richest school districts and its celebrated science and tech school for “unlawful discrimination" in violation of state law. The move from Miyares, a Republican, follows concerns that Fairfax County Public Schools and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology…
    Tony Kinnett
    Read More
    • News

    Round 5: Still No Speaker of the House

    Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to reflect the fifth round of voting on Wednesday. Later in the day, there would be a sixth round without any candidate having enough votes to be elected. The next speaker of the House is still up in the air after the fifth round of voting on Wednesday failed…
    Samantha Aschieris
    Read More
    • News

    ‘New York Must Stop Disarming Its Religious Citizens’ Under New Court Order

    A federal court has blocked New York from enforcing a ban on the concealed carrying of firearms at houses of worship, ruling Thursday that the state law likely discriminated against religious New Yorkers and may have violated the First Amendment. The state’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, signed the legislation (S.51001/A.41001) in July, restricting concealed carry…
    Tyler O’Neil
    Read More
    • Opinion

    ‘60 Minutes’ Peddles Fake News About Humans Overrunning Earth

    Chalk this up as “60 Minutes” hosting the worst peddler of false knowledge since Dan Rather left the set. CBS kicked off 2023 by touting “mass extinction” blather by Paul Ehrlich, the guy who’s been peddling radical and misanthropic eco-garbage since his book “The Population Bomb” in 1968. That screed began: “The battle to feed…
    Tim Graham
    Read More