Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
EXCLUSIVE: Marsha Blackburn Resolution Calls Out Democratic ‘Attacks on the Constitution’
Sen. Marsha Blackburn has introduced a resolution defending the Constitution from “leftist attacks” and affirming that “the Constitution of the United States is not a flexible document, but an enduring covenant.” Blackburn, R-Tenn., is pushing back on ongoing attacks from leftists on the United States Supreme Court, particularly following the recent pro-life victory in Dobbs… -
opinion
When Will Low-Income Americans Stop Looking to Government?
New polling data from Gallup show Americans are not having an easy time through this period of rising prices. According to Gallup, 56% of Americans say now that rising prices are causing severe or moderate hardship. Drilling down, we see that the hardship is not shared equally. Among low-income households, those with income less than… -
opinion
Left’s Vision for America Grows Increasingly Dark
The Left’s vision for America has grown increasingly dark. Its embrace of identity politics has morphed into an all-out drive for divisiveness, demonizing huge swaths of the American people for purely political purposes. The most recent examples of this came last week when President Joe Biden labeled tens of millions of his own constituents—Americans who oppose his… -
opinion
The Passing of an Era
The death of Queen Elizabeth II marked the passing of an era in British and world history. Elizabeth II, who first became queen when Winston Churchill was prime minister in 1952, carried the British monarchy through the turbulent twentieth and early twenty-first centuries until her death on Sept. 8. Not only that, Elizabeth II… -
news
House Freedom Caucus to GOP: Vote ‘No’ on Funding Democrat Policies
The leader of the House’s most conservative caucus is calling on party leadership to prevent “leftist Democrats” from getting “another bite” at tyranny as Congress prepares to vote on a short-term government spending bill before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. “We call on each and every Republican to vote ‘no.’ Vote ‘no’ to… -
news
Court Rules Mail Voting Law Is Illegal Under Delaware Constitution
A vote-by-mail law approved in July does not bode with Delaware law and the process cannot be used in the upcoming November elections, a state judge ruled Wednesday. Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, signed a bill July 22 that allows any voter to ask for a mail-in ballot with no excuse. But Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook… -
opinion
If ‘Politics Is Downstream From Culture,’ the Right Must Jump in to Redirect Cultural Tide
Time and time again, Democratic and Republican politicians shout that there’s an ideological battle for the heart and soul of the nation and hope to win the trust and support of disenchanted voters. A poll released in July by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics found that 73% of Republicans and 74% of Democrats… -
opinion
Robbing Pavel to Pay Pedro: The Biden White House’s New Refugee Plan
The Biden administration recently sent Congress a proposal to admit a total of 125,000 refugees in the fiscal year that begins next month. If recent years are any guide, though, President Joe Biden won’t get anywhere near that target. In fiscal year 2021, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program let in only 11,411 refugees out of… -
opinion
How Can You Befriend a ‘Semi-Fascist’?
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, at a recent event with a liberal audience, praised Justice Clarence Thomas, her ideological adversary. Sotomayor said, “He is a man who cares deeply about the court as an institution.” She added that while the two often disagree over judicial decisions, “We share a common understanding about people and kindness… -
opinion
The ‘Secure Border’ of Kamala Harris
When Donald Trump was president, the Border Patrol in fiscal year 2019 did not encounter a single individual on the terrorist watchlist trying to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border between legal ports of entry. In the first 10 months of this fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol encountered 66… -
opinion
Iranian Ayatollah’s Declining Health Complicates Nuclear Deal Negotiations
Rumors of the declining health of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have further complicated the cost-benefit calculus for U.S. policymakers on the Iran nuclear issue. Khamenei’s health problems would make another nuclear deal even more risky than the original agreement of 2015. As the ultimate decision-maker in Iran’s Islamic revolutionary regime, the supreme leader’s… -
news
After Botched Census Counts in 14 States, House Democrats Push Less Accountability for Bureaucrats
As the Census Bureau faces questions about a botched population count in 2020, the White House expressed conditional support Tuesday for legislation that would loosen the agency’s accountability to taxpayers and elected lawmakers. The Office of Management and Budget released a statement of President Joe Biden’s administration policy in support of HR 8326, a bill dubbed… -
opinion
California Is Both Increasing Electrical Demand and Cutting Off Access to Electricity Sources
California may be a trendsetter or bellwether in many ways, but after 10 grid alerts and emergency declarations in as many days, let’s hope that’s not the case when it comes to energy and climate policy. Over the past two weeks, shortly after state bureaucrats finalized a regulation banning sales of gasoline-powered cars after 2035,… -
opinion
Forgetting Some Lessons of 9/11
On the 21st anniversary of Sept. 11, President Joe Biden repeated the same tired nostrums we have heard for the past several years on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in American history: “We will never forget. We will never give up. Our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States is without… -
opinion
Ken Starr, Rest in Peace
Famed lawyer Ken Starr died unexpectedly Tuesday following complications from surgery after a long and previously undisclosed illness. He had a long and storied—and somewhat controversial—career. Starr, 76, was born in Vernon, Texas, and was a Texan through and through. A graduate of George Washington University and Duke Law School (with a master’s degree from… -
opinion
Should Conservatives Fight Fire With Fire, Seek to Cancel the Left?
The radical left wields immense cultural power in America. When a conservative crosses them, intentionally or otherwise, he or she is met with a volley of vile, leftist hatred. The left ruthlessly tracks down any information about the conservatives, their jobs, friends, and family and attempts to cancel them. The left views the loss of… -
news
7 Highlights From National Conservatism Conference
AVENTURA, Florida—Conservatives from across the United States gathered for the third annual National Conservatism Conference, hosted by the Edmund Burke Foundation. The Daily Signal was on the ground for the conference, held Sept. 11-13. Here’s some of the highlights from the conference: 1. Sen. Josh Hawley: ‘The American Revolution Is a Continuation of the Revolution… -
opinion
Biden’s Proposed Public Benefits for Aliens Rule Akin to Unfunded Mandate
In its latest effort to “remove barriers” to immigration, the Department of Homeland Security is finalizing the long-awaited public charge rule, codifying a weak standard that upends congressional intent, decades of precedent, and the core American value of self-reliance. The term “public charge” first appeared in statute in 1882, when Congress barred the admission of… -
opinion
Media Finally Notes Biden’s Border Mess When It Hits Acela Corridor
The New York Times published a lengthy news story the other day explaining how over 1 million “undocumented immigrants” have been “allowed into the country temporarily after crossing the border during President Biden’s tenure.” For many of those 1 million asylum-seekers—whose cases are at best a “long shot”—many “will have to wait seven years on… -
opinion
‘Nice,’ Evil Aren’t Necessarily Mutually Exclusive
It can be said that gaining wisdom is a process of gaining some dark insights into life. One such insight is this: A lot of evil has been abetted by nice people. By “nice,” I am referring to the way people comport themselves in the personal realm. We refer to people as being “nice” if…