Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
- Opinion
Beware Arrogance on the ‘Democracy Beat’
On CNN’s “Reliable Sources” on June 19, host Brian Stelter touted the growing new trend in the “objective” media of creating a “democracy beat” because former President Donald Trump and his devotees are a constant threat. Stelter compared it to a contractor fighting rot and mold in the house. There’s something obvious and desirable about…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
Fewer Americans Believe in God Than Ever. Here’s Why It Matters.
Per a new report from Gallup, the percentage of Americans now saying they believe in God is the lowest since it first started doing the survey. In 2022, 81% of Americans say they believe in God. When Gallup first asked this question in 1944, 96% said they believed, and in the early 1950s, it was…Star Parker -
- Opinion
Boston Banned a Christian Flag but Raised a Communist One
Not long after al-Qaeda terrorists flew commercial jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Northern Virginia, Major League Baseball teams started playing “God Bless America” in the seventh inning of their games. Many of these games were played in stadiums owned by local governments. Did that establish a religion?…Terence Jeffrey -
- Opinion
If Garland, Local Prosecutor Won’t Protect Justices, Virginia Governor and State AG Must Act
With U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Fairfax County, Virginia, Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano refusing to enforce federal and state laws against the pro-abortion protesters who are intimidating and threatening Supreme Court justices and their families who live in Virginia, it’s time for Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state Attorney General Jason Miyares to step in…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
The Death of the Elite ‘Center’
The false center cannot hold. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has now lost his majority in the National Assembly; his party holds 245 seats in the lower house, but the right holds 150 and the left 131. In Colombia, former M-19 guerrilla and Marxist Gustavo Petro has now become the president of the country, replacing…Ben Shapiro -
- News
Navy Training Video Tells Sailors How to Use ‘Correct’ Pronouns and Create ‘Safe Spaces’
The Navy is coming under fire for a video created to train sailors in how to “correctly” use personal pronouns and “inclusive language” to create “safe spaces” in the service. The video, nearly four minutes long, came to public attention Monday although it was shot in June 2021 and posted May 23 to the website…Evalyn Homoelle -
- Opinion
No Longer a News Mag, Time Champions ‘Gender-Expansive’ Teens
When someone wants to complain about how our most respected news outlets once attempted to look “objective” but now dwell on performative activism, see Time magazine. Time magazine is a shadow of its former self. Every issue is a “double issue,” since no one needs a “weekly news magazine” at this late date. The cover…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
On Eve of Roe v. Wade Reversal, Poll Shows Americans Want to Protect Unborn
Stories of resilience and hope emerge even in the darkest times. In its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court created and imposed a policy for killing babies in the womb, one of the most extreme in the world, which the American people never chose for themselves. A large and consistent majority of…Thomas Jipping -
- Opinion
Inflation Continues to Clobber Us. Can the Fed Help?
Americans continue to suffer from sky-high inflation. In an attempt to avert some of the worst consequences, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell raised interest rates by 0.75%. But is this enough? And what else can the Biden administration be doing to curb inflation? Dave Brat, dean at the Liberty University School of Business and a…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
What ‘Men Give Birth,’ ‘Defund Police’ Have in Common
Unless you are brainwashed, you regard the statements “men give birth” and “defund the police” as absurd. Why, then, do leftists (as opposed to liberals and conservatives) say these things and even believe them? I think there are two—related—explanations. One is that the left seeks to tear down every normative institution. If men give birth,…Dennis Prager -
- News
Republicans Seek to Force House Vote on Whether Life Begins at Conception
With the Supreme Court expected to soon announce a pivotal decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, Republican lawmakers are using a procedural tactic to try to force a House vote on recognizing life at conception. “We could put the most benign, most modest life proposal forward and get zero Democrat votes, or we could…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
The Effects of ‘Pride’ and ‘Allyship’ on Journalism
It’s June, so we’re receiving relentless messaging about the importance of “pride” for the LGBTQ community. One prominent vehicle was the cover of the “Pride Issue” of People magazine dated June 20, featuring, “Robin Roberts In Her Own Words: Love, Faith, & Breaking Barriers.” Underline the “faith” part. The “Good Morning America” co-host insisted she…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
Juneteenth: A Perfect Day to Cheer Black Success
On Monday, America marks our second Juneteenth national holiday. Some will focus on the severe pain and death that slavery inflicted on blacks between 1619 and 1865. It would be far more useful, however, to celebrate so much that black Americans have accomplished since the original Juneteenth liberated the last of some 4 million emancipated…Deroy Murdock -
- News
New Museum Bears Witness to Communism’s Horrors, Honors Its Victims
In the heart of Washington, D.C., behind the doors of a building not unlike the others with which it shares a block, lies a most visceral testament to the horrors of communism—a political ideology still all too dominant in the world today. The new museum, from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, has been in…Philip Reynolds -
- Opinion
Cryptocurrency Bill Aims to Fix Scattershot Regulation, but Needs Fine-tuning
Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., last week introduced the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, which seeks to remove some of the risk that regulators have created in the bitcoin and cryptocurrency space. The bill aims to more clearly define which cryptocurrencies are securities subject to Securities and Exchange Commission oversight, and which are…Peter St. Onge -
- News
New Study, Experts Debunk Trans Activists’ Child Suicide Claims in Puberty Blocker Debate
“Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living son?” That’s the question that transgender activists and “gender-affirming” therapists and physicians often hold over parents’ heads when they refuse to allow their gender-dysphoric child to take experimental puberty blockers and long-term cross-sex hormones. A panel of experts spoke on the dangers posed by that “either/or” dichotomy at an event, “The…Evalyn Homoelle -
- Opinion
Transgender Activists Manipulate Parents With Suicide Threats
“Do you want a dead daughter or a live son?” This question, which is really a threat, is the central tenet of the campaign selling gender ideology to parents. Parents are often told that they are putting their gender-nonconforming child at risk of suicide if they don’t medically “transition” him or her to appear as…Ginny Gentles -
- Opinion
What the Jan. 6 Committee Might Have Been
Congress should investigate fully the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol—and similar recent riots at iconic federal sites. But unfortunately, it never will. Why not? The current committee is not bipartisan. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., forbade Republican nominees traditionally selected by the House minority leader to serve on the committee. No speaker had ever…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
Democrats’ Selective Outrage Over ‘Insurrections’
To listen to House Democrats’—and Reps. Liz Cheney’s and Adam Kinzinger’s, but I repeat myself—shrieks of hysteria from the opening nights of the Jan. 6 House select committee dais is to hearken back to the Soviet-era show trials of yesteryear. Vladimir Lenin, as the veteran conservative commentator Roger Kimball reminds us, referred to them as…Josh Hammer -
- Opinion
3 Seas Initiative Deserves Greater Attention, America’s Increased Strategic Support
The upcoming Three Seas Initiative meetings present a critically important opportunity for the initiative’s partners to work together to reboot their commitment to advancing shared values and pragmatic policies that enhance economic freedom and security. The latest annual summit and business forum will be hosted by Latvia June 20 to 21. Unambiguously, the ongoing invasion…Anthony B. Kim