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
Unmasking CDC’s Latest Mask Study: How Government Gets It Wrong Again
Coming soon to your Twitter feed: another Centers for Disease Control and Prevention poster on the virtues of mask-wearing. “People who reported always wearing a mask in indoor public settings were less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than people who didn’t,*” the poster announces. Astute readers will notice the asterisk (*) in the poster’s…Doug Badger -
- Opinion
Pennsylvania Power Plant Closures Would Cause Real Harm for Illusory Environmental Gains
Visible from Western Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountain ridges are coal-fired power plants—and their plumes of water vapor—that have been integral to much of the regional economy for 50 years. But maybe not for much longer. Three plants east of Pittsburgh directly employ 550 people and support an estimated 8,100 jobs, according to Power PA Jobs Alliance, a coalition…Gordon Tomb -
- News
Florida Lawmaker Considers Bill Cutting Funds for School Districts Requiring Masks
A Florida lawmaker is considering legislation that would cut funding for school districts that implemented mask mandates despite a recent executive order, the Tampa Bay Times reported Monday. State Rep. Randy Fine, who chairs the PreK-12 Appropriations subcommittee, proposed a move that would punish the dozen districts that mandated masks, the Times reported. He said the…Kendall Tietz -
- Opinion
Being Young Is Hard. Here’s How She Learned to ‘Make Your 20s Suck (a Little) Less’
Many college graduates enter "the real world” with grand expectations. They have high hopes of landing a stable job with a good salary, forming a strong community of friends, and maybe even meeting a special someone along the way. And why should they not have great expectations for their lives? They have been told to…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Now Is the Time for Conservatives to Combat Big Tech’s Totalitarianism
As the past year has borne out, Big Tech companies are not afraid to exercise their power in the service of leftist ideology. And they are using it to manipulate the flow of information to American body politic. When we talk about Big Tech, we are referring to a loose compilation of companies that include…Kara Frederick -
- News
‘Breadcrumbs Lead to Speaker’s Office,’ Rep. Jim Banks Warns as GOP Slams Capitol Police Leadership Over Capitol Riot
Rep. Jim Banks heavily criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her failure to hand over key documents related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, saying in a Monday interview that Republican lawmakers believe the severity of the riot was due to a “systemic breakdown and failure at the highest levels of the Capitol Police.” The…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Threat Assessment Grim on Weapons of Mass Destruction
Alongside so many other threats to U.S. interests, weapons of mass destruction is another area that will be of deep concern this year. Indeed, there are good reasons to be nervous about threats from weapons of mass destruction arising not only from rogue states such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria—but also from great powers…Peter Brookes -
- Opinion
What the Media Isn’t Telling You About Jan. 6
The events of Jan. 6, 2021, are often portrayed by Democrats and their friends in the media as an insurrection. It’s a loaded word meant to imply that protesters were mounting an organized rebellion against the U.S. government. That description might fit the left’s narrative of what happened on that day in Washington, but it’s…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
Los Angeles Times Slams ‘Vitriol in Politics’—After Hiring Vitriolic Columnists
There’s an old joke about the convicted defendant who, after killing his parents, asked the judge for leniency because, after all, the murderer is now an orphan. A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times is not quite the same. But it’s close. Here’s the headline: “The Vitriol in Politics Is Driving Good People Out…Larry Elder -
- Opinion
Will Democrats Ever Learn?
President Joe Biden’s latest attempt to modify Senate filibuster rules is abysmal and politically naive, and it demonstrates his shortsightedness and failing political acumen. In simple terms, a Senate filibuster is a procedural tool that opponents of a proposed legislation can use to prolong debate on a bill by indefinitely holding the floor of the…Armstrong Williams -
- Opinion
Biden’s Latest Proposal Would Force Insurers to Pay for Gender ‘Transition’
President Joe Biden has sought to inject gender ideology into our laws since his first day in office. He might prefer a massive bill like the Equality Act that elevates the categories of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to status of race and sex. But that effort has stalled in the Senate. So, for now,…Jay Richards -
- Opinion
Biden’s Anti-Crypto Scaremongering Threatens to Impose Surveil-and-Control on All Americans
Inflation makes governments rabid. They lash out for scapegoats to blame for policymakers’ failures. Having failed to convince the American people that greedy meatpackers and grocery stores are causing inflation in everything from used cars to houses to gasoline, the administration and Congress are now going after Americans who use cryptocurrencies with tools that could…Peter St. Onge -
- Opinion
Lebanon’s ‘Great Denial’ Must Be Reversed, but Time Is Running Out
“Lebanon’s deliberate depression is orchestrated by the country’s elite that has long captured the state and lived off its economic rents.” Very unfortunately, but precisely, that sentence in a recent World Bank report summed up the root cause of Lebanon’s tragic economic downfall. The Lebanese people have been suffering as the direct consequence of government…Anthony B. Kim -
- Opinion
California Tries and Fails Again to Create Government-Controlled Health Care System
California’s “progressive” legislators recently tried, and once again failed, to establish “a single-payer” system of state-controlled health care. The California bill, AB 1400, would have abolished virtually all private and employer-sponsored health insurance, and would have replaced it with a state-run system promising universal coverage, including for illegal immigrants. Among other things, the measure would…Robert Moffit -
- Opinion
National Debt Reaches New Heights Thanks to Ever-Expanding Government
The Treasury Department announced Tuesday that the total national debt had surpassed $30 trillion for the first time. Just two years ago, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the nation would not reach this mark until the end of 2025. Thanks to our ever-expanding federal government, we reached the $30 trillion mark nearly four years…Matthew Dickerson -
- News
‘Groundhog Day’ Report Calls Out Biden’s Recycling of Obama Personnel
President Joe Biden not only has recycled personnel from the Obama administration, but in some cases the Clinton administration, notes a new report from Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind. Braun’s report, released Wednesday and titled “Joe Biden Groundhog Day: How the Swamp Keeps Coming Back, Again and Again,” characterizes 19 individuals as “bureaucrats who keep popping…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Abraham Accords Are Yielding Concrete Forward Steps, More Can Follow
For the first time ever, this week, Israel’s president made a visit to the United Arab Emirates. President Isaac Herzog traveled to the UAE and met with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This is the direct result of the U.S.-negotiated Abraham Accords, which have been paving the way for previously…Anthony B. Kim -
- Opinion
Why Planned Parenthood Is Pushing Chemical Abortions
This year is arguably the most significant year in the fight for life since Roe v. Wade made abortion legal across America in 1973. The federal right to abortion could be overturned this summer by the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. If the court overturns Roe v. Wade, abortion rights…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
How America Is Doing 1 Year Into Biden’s Presidency
President Joe Biden has been in office for just over a year, and Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., says the nation would be better off without him at the helm. If Biden “went home, back to Delaware to his beach house … and never came out, the country would be much better off,” Good says. “Everything…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
LA Train Robbers Are Latter-Day Jesse and Frank James
Jesse James was one of the first bandits to hold up a moving train. Unlike the Hollywood lore, however, nobody chased trains on horseback and jumped on board. Instead, near Adair, Iowa, in 1873, James and his gang loosened a section of track on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. They used a rope…Greg Karraker