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
It’s Time to Stop Denying Reality About Transgender Athletes
A transgender athlete, Lia Thomas, dominated during a Nov. 20 women’s swim meet with athletes representing Cornell, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania. Thomas, a biological male who identifies as a woman, set new Ivy League records for the women’s 500 and 200 freestyle and smashed numerous UPenn records in women’s swimming. In the 1650…Jared Eckert -
- Opinion
This Job Market Brings New Challenges. ‘Build Back Better’ Would Make Things Worse.
Unfathomable. Inexplicable. Unparalleled. The current labor market is unlike anything America has experienced before, and unlike anything one could have fathomed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of Americans desperately seeking jobs, employers are desperately seeking workers, with 11 million job openings in October compared to 7.4 million unemployed. In November, a whopping…Rachel Greszler -
- Opinion
Despite What the White House Says, Obamacare Is Deeply Troubled
Open enrollment on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges is in full swing. Consumers in most states, including the 33 that use the federally operated HealthCare.gov, have until Jan. 15 to sign up for coverage for 2022. The Biden administration says things have never been better, and that premiums are declining, more insurers are participating in the…Sally Pipes -
- Opinion
Longtime Sidekick ‘Bo Snerdley’ Reveals the Secret of Rush Limbaugh’s Success
The iconic voice of Rush Limbaugh no longer graces the airwaves, but the broadcaster's legacy lives on in a new book by his longtime sidekick. James Golden, known on air as "Bo Snerdley," spoke to The Daily Signal about the man he worked alongside for 30 years. Golden recently published a book about Limbaugh, "Rush…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
We Hear You: Inflation Isn’t a ‘High-Class Problem’
Editor's note: Some observations on rising inflation from The Daily Signal's audience are among those that caught our attention this week. As usual, you can send your own comments to the mailbag at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I don’t know what a “high-class problem” is supposed to be, per David Harsanyi's commentary ("Biden White…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Jail for Jussie: Throw Book at Race-Hoaxster Smollett
Dear Santa Claus: Here is what I want for Christmas: The longest-possible time behind bars for Jussie Smollett. A tungsten-stiff prison sentence for the convicted racial hoaxster and weapons-grade pathological liar would be a huge gift, not just to me, but for all of American society. After a jury found Smollett guilty of five counts…Deroy Murdock -
- Opinion
The Year in Unhinged Liberal Celebrities’ Freakouts
Despite the triumph of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, liberal celebrities didn’t get much happier in 2021. It began with Donald Trump refusing to concede that he lost the presidential election. A year ago, one actor engaged in violent fantasies over this stubborn resistance to the facts. “Who arrests Trump if he refuses to concede? Who…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
Why Hasn’t Jussie Smollett Been Charged With Perjury?
This did not wear well. On Feb. 22, 2019, a story posted on Gentleman’s Quarterly website was headlined: “The Racist, Homophobic Attack on Jussie Smollett Is America’s Endgame. When one of the most famous black and gay men in America is not safe, the message is clearer than it has ever been.” One of the…Larry Elder -
- Opinion
Democrats Dump ‘Build Back Better,’ Pivot to Useless Extremism
Editor’s note: On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., told “Fox News Sunday” he would not vote for the Build Back Better bill, saying, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.” Unable to pass their welfare-state expansion with a simple majority,…David Harsanyi -
- Opinion
Remembering Linda Whetstone, Champion of Liberty
The world has lost a great ally of freedom. Linda Whetstone, daughter of entrepreneur and think tank pioneer Sir Antony Fisher, passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 15 at the age of 79. Whetstone left a remarkable legacy of institutions, academics, students, and activists across the globe that have benefited from her tireless efforts to raise…Bridgett Wagner -
- Opinion
Is There Still Hope for a Free Cuba?
Cuba’s communist regime has done almost everything in its power to put an end to pro-democracy protests there. Now, the movement for freedom is fighting to stay alive even as many of its leaders and others have been imprisoned. Last month, Cubans again tried to gather and protest the regime, but the government met the…Virginia Allen -
- News
2 California Teachers Accused of Encouraging Student’s Clandestine Gender Transition
Two teachers in a California school district are accused of coaching a student into coming out as transgender behind the backs of the student’s parents, according to video footage circulating on social media. School staff reportedly changed the student’s name and pronouns and called Child Protective Services when the parents objected to the gender transition,…Harold Hutchison -
- Opinion
Why Is the Left Suddenly Worried About End of Democracy?
What is behind recent pessimistic appraisals of democracy’s future, from Hillary Clinton, Adam Schiff, Brian Williams, and other elite intellectuals, media personalities, and politicians on the left? Some are warning about its possible erosion in 2024. Others predict democracy’s downturn as early 2022, with scary scenarios of “autocracy” and former President Donald Trump “coups.” To…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
Mob’s Attack on J.K. Rowling Shows Why Conservatives Need to Stand Strong
The saying goes, “If you’re catching flak, you’re hitting the target.” No one has proved this more than author J.K. Rowling’s full-throated, no-holds-barred defense of two separate sexes. The London Times reported: “Police in Scotland confirmed that it would record rapes by offenders with a penis as carried out by a woman if they identified…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
Lithuania, Key Baltic Ally of US, Stands Firm With Taiwan
During his visit to Washington in late November, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis pointed out that “the biggest lesson out of Lithuania is that economic coercion does not necessarily mean that the country needs to step away from independent foreign-policy decisions.” “Probably you’ll be threatened. You’ll be shouted at in the headlines in Chinese media,…Anthony B. Kim -
- Opinion
Democrats Get Networks’ Softball Questions for Holidays
As Christmas approaches, the network “news” divisions have showered the Bidens with gifts. NBC late-night host Jimmy Fallon gave President Joe Biden a free platform for 16 minutes on Dec. 10, and hailed him as a “classy guy” who brought “class back” to the White House. Two days later, CBS reporter Rita Braver gushed for…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
Politics of Climate Change Twist Nation’s Tornado Tragedy
Some politicians and government officials can’t let a crisis go to waste. In the matter of the tornadoes that devastated parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, restraint was called for, but went unanswered. Asked about the cause of such devastation, President Joe Biden said, “We all know everything is more intense when the…Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
Why It’s Always Winter in Communist Countries, but Never Christmas
In his classic work “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” C.S. Lewis paints a picture of Narnia under the rule of the White Witch as a place where it is “always winter, but never Christmas.” Lewis used the imagery to describe the world under the influence of sin and death, but the analogy also…Virginia Allen -
- News
13 New York Counties Refuse to Enforce New Mask Mandate
A quarter of New York’s counties are refusing to enforce a new mask mandate imposed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, The New York Post reported. Hochul ordered every indoor business in the state to either check vaccine status at the door or require masks, with fines of up to $10,000 per violation from Dec. 13 to…Laurel Duggan -
- News
Elementary School Libraries Offer Gender Identity Book for Kids, Virginia School System Confirms
Loudoun County Public Schools keeps four copies of an ideological book on gender identity for little children in its elementary school libraries, the Virginia school system confirmed Wednesday to The Daily Signal. Written by “One Bad Mother” podcaster Theresa Thorn, the book “It Feels So Good to Be Yourself” describes the terms “sex assigned at…Mary Margaret Olohan