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
Kyle Rittenhouse’s Prosecutors Brought Forward a Weak Case for Political Purposes
Details matter, nowhere more so than in a criminal prosecution. And prosecutors, who must prove each element of each charge they file beyond a reasonable doubt—the highest burden known in American law—rightfully tend to get hung up on the details of their cases. A defendant could face decades in prison, or in some cases even… -
opinion
How ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ May Change Music Industry ‘Forever & Always’
Pop singer Taylor Swift is shaking up the music industry with her rerecorded version of “Red (Taylor’s Version).” The 11-time Grammy award-winning artist is rerecording her music in order to own the rights to her songs. Shamrock Capital Advisors, an investment firm in Los Angeles, currently owns the rights to Swift’s original albums. The original “Red”… -
opinion
Media Coverage of Rittenhouse Trial Escalates Descent Into Mob Justice
America continues to be threatened by mob “justice.” The media coverage of the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial in Wisconsin has been shameful, and only goes to highlight how much the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the principle of blind justice are disintegrating. It should be no surprise, really. The left continues to lean… -
opinion
The Road to Ruin Is Paved With Gimmicks
At this very moment, President Joe Biden and Congress are engaged in yet another round of budget gimmickry with your wallet in mind. Though congressional rules are usually dismissed as “inside baseball,” many of them are designed to safeguard Americans from abuses of government. Biden has talked about his “Build Back Better” tax-and-spend bill as… -
opinion
How Do We ‘Build Back Better’ by Wasting Trillions?
As Democrats regroup to try to pass their $2 trillion Build Back Better Act, pressure grows for shining the light of fiscal responsibility on all this. Given President Joe Biden’s crashing approval ratings, there is some hint that the American people smell a rat. One sign of the smell of that rat is the alarming… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: California Forces Transgender ‘Belief System’ on Female Prisoners Housed With Biological Males, Lawsuit Says
A lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Women’s Liberation Front accuses the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of endangering women by housing biological males in women’s prisons. According to the lawsuit, a biological male sexually assaulted a female prisoner in Central California Women’s Facility after being housed there under state law. The prison’s response to… -
opinion
23 Aliens Previously Convicted of Homicide Charged With Illegal Reentry in Arizona in Biden’s First 9 Months
Since February, President Joe Biden’s first full month in office, 23 aliens who had previously been convicted of homicide in the United States were charged in Arizona with illegally reentering this country. We know this because the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona regularly publishes these numbers. It puts out a monthly report on “immigration and… -
opinion
The Narrative Is the Priority
According to the media, Kyle Rittenhouse was a white supremacist. According to the media, Kyle Rittenhouse was an active shooter. According to the media, Kyle Rittenhouse was a murderer. In reality, he was none of these. Kyle Rittenhouse was a 17-year-old young man who went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in order to protect businesses and administer… -
news
Wisconsin School District Used Male Name, Pronouns for 12-Year-Old Girl Against Parental Objections, Lawsuit Alleges
A Wisconsin school district addressed a 12-year-old female student using both a male name and male pronouns against her parents’ objections, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. Filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and Alliance Defending Freedom in the Waukesha County Circuit Court, the lawsuit alleges that Kettle Moraine School District violated… -
opinion
Coverage of Steele Dossier Is a Dark Period for American Media
Americans don’t trust the news media, and there’s little wonder why. In a Gallup poll released in October, just 36% said they have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust in the media, which is the second-lowest approval number since the organization began recording these particular opinions in 1972. Interestingly, the only time… -
opinion
Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Rises Twice as Fast as Wages
Your Thanksgiving Day meal is going to cost about 8% more, nearly twice the increase in average weekly earnings since a year ago. For a family gathering of 10, expect to spend about $85 during President Joe Biden’s first Thanksgiving as president, roughly $6 more than last November, when Donald Trump was president. Ironically, the… -
news
Loudoun County Student Won’t Contest Sexual Battery Charge
A student in Loudoun County, Virginia, pleaded “no contest” to abduction and sexual battery Monday. A juvenile court judge found the same male student guilty of sexually assaulting a different female student in an October case, Fox 5 DC reported. The “no contest” plea in this second case “means the boy is not admitting guilt, but he is not… -
news
Florida’s DeSantis Takes Aim at America’s ‘Ruling Class’
ORLANDO, Fla.—President Joe Biden and the “entrenched political class” are ruining America with the help of a corrupt and partisan corporate media, says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who promised to lead the fight against the current regime. In a 40-minute speech Thursday to about 800 conservative supporters of The Heritage Foundation and its grassroots partner, Heritage Action for America, the Florida governor tackled a range of issues… -
news
Judge Hears 3 Teachers’ Stand Against Transgender Policy Requiring Them to Ignore Students’ Biological Sex
A Virginia courtroom was the scene of a debate over teachers’ religious and free speech rights Monday as three Loudoun County teachers challenged a school district policy requiring them to call students by their preferred pronouns regardless of biological sex. The policy directly violates the constitutional rights of Tanner Cross, Monica Gill, and Kim Wright,… -
opinion
Only the Rich and Powerful Can Thrive in Lawless San Francisco
In “progressive” San Francisco, safety is for the rich. That’s the reality of what’s happening in the San Francisco Bay Area as bad policy and anti-police attitudes have created a haven for criminality. Like many other urban parts of America, the Bay Area has been hit with a historic surge in violent crime in the… -
opinion
So-Called Meritocracy Isn’t the Problem
In 1958, British sociologist Michael Young coined the term “meritocracy” in his satirical novel, called “The Rise of the Meritocracy.” Its point was simple: When intelligence and effort are selected by any society as the basis for success or failure, those with such merit begin to comprise their own class. That class hardens into an… -
news
Rittenhouse Trial Judge Dismisses Unlawful Weapon Possession Charge
Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed a count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor at the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse on Monday. Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he carried the weapon in question, an AR-15-style rifle, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020. Schroeder dismissed the charge on the grounds of an exception within… -
news
Florida Gov. DeSantis: ‘We Chose Freedom Over Fauci-ism, and We’re Better Off for It’
ORLANDO, Fla.—Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered a blistering critique of President Joe Biden and his authoritarian policies, warning Americans they need to fight against the radical left to preserve our freedom. Speaking to roughly 800 supporters of The Heritage Foundation and its grassroots partner, Heritage Action for America, DeSantis took aim at Biden’s recently announced COVID-19… -
opinion
US Engagement With Indo-Pacific Requires Greater Trade, Investment
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai embarks this week on her first trip to Asia in the post. She will travel to Japan, South Korea, and India to hold high-level meetings with trade stakeholders in each country “to discuss the enduring U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to strengthen trade and economic relationships with key… -
opinion
How Virginia Blew Up ‘Larry Elder Was Wrong Candidate’ Narrative
After the California gubernatorial recall election, many pundits—as well as my opponent’s campaign manager—pushed the narrative that “Larry Elder was a gift” to Gov. Gavin Newsom. A kinder, gentler Republican, they insisted, one who distanced himself from the loathsome former President Donald Trump, would have made all the difference in the world, despite the fact…