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
‘Do the Next Right Thing’: Tips on Coping With Anxiety
The early days of the pandemic were marked by lockdowns, masks, and social distancing. Each imposed restriction further eroded normal socialization, leading many Americans to sink into anxiety and depression. Jon Seidl, author of the new book “Finding Rest: A Survivor’s Guide to Navigating the Valleys of Anxiety, Faith, and Life,” had his own mental… -
opinion
Instagram Knows It Makes Users ‘Feel Worse About Themselves,’ but Does ‘Nothing’ About It, Tech Expert Says
Instagram is harmful for users, especially young women, according to research conducted by Facebook. Facebook owns Instagram and recently conducted studies to determine how the platform affects its users. The data reveals that 32% of teen girls who reported feeling bad about their bodies only felt worse after looking at Instagram. What is Instagram doing… -
opinion
Too Big to Pass? Democrats Divided Over $3.5 Trillion Tax-and-Spend Behemoth
Banks have been considered “too big to fail” in the past, but liberal Democrats’ hugely consequential and transformative $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend monstrosity might be “too big to pass,” as support falters even among some Democrats. The ultraliberal Congressional Progressive Caucus, with nearly 100 votes, is threatening to block passage of the $1 trillion-plus infrastructure bill… -
news
Teacher Forced to Remove Pro-Police Flag While BLM, Pride Flags Allowed
A middle school teacher in Washington state was told to remove a pro-police flag she had hanging in her classroom, while Black Lives Matter messages and pride flags are still permitted at the school, according to documents obtained by "The Jason Rantz Show" and 770 KTTH. A Marysville Middle School teacher had a Thin Blue… -
opinion
Biden’s Promise to Unite Us Was False. He Hasn’t Even Tried.
President Joe Biden’s administration is now defined by soaring COVID-19 numbers, a botched Afghanistan retreat, and millions of Americans who are not simply unemployed, but are unwilling to work. Biden campaigned on the promise of increasing America’s morale, enhancing our international standing, and doing a better job controlling COVID-19 than his predecessor. But the exact… -
opinion
Biden Flouts Federalism, Undermines Florida Law on Masks for Schoolchildren
The Biden administration has made it clear that abiding by our federal, constitutional system of government is a mere trifle in the way of its political priorities, one to be swept aside. The latest example finds the Department of Education now sending grants to school board members in Florida who violate the governor’s mask-mandate ban… -
opinion
Biden’s Del Rio Bridge Crisis: Far More Than Just Optics Problem
The Biden administration views the sudden gathering of 15,000 illegal immigrants under the Del Rio, Texas, international bridge over the past week to 10 days as an “optics problem.” In reality, Del Rio was a mere time-lapse photo of the open-border crisis happening along the southern border for the past eight months. The administration has… -
news
6 Takeaways From Findings of Arizona Election Audit
The Arizona Senate’s audit of election results in the state’s most populous county has affirmed Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump last November to win Arizona’s 11 electoral votes. However, the election audit in Maricopa County did find procedural problems such as duplication of ballots and potential for fraud. Auditors recommended that the state address… -
opinion
After US Pullout From Afghanistan, Joel C. Rosenberg Sees Alliances Shift in Middle East
Involvement in the Middle East has been a large part of U.S. foreign policy for generations. President after president has had to take the multifaceted and complex web of alliances and relationships in the Middle East into account as they navigated policy in the region. But after President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan… -
opinion
Reflections on My Failed Campaign to Become California Governor
I want to thank the distributor of my articles, Creators Syndicate, for allowing me to take eight weeks off from writing my weekly column so I could campaign to recall and replace the governor of California. I also want to thank my readers for their patience and willingness to let me pursue that adventure. The… -
opinion
At Home and Abroad Alike, Civilization Requires Deterrence
Deterrence is the ancient ability to scare somebody off from hurting you, your friends, or your interests—without a major war. Desire peace? Then be prepared for war. Or so the Romans believed. It’s an easily understood concept in the abstract. But deterrence still remains a mystical quality in the concrete, since it is only acquired… -
opinion
Why Are Americans Fixated on Gabby Petito Case?
Unless you have no cable TV and no internet, you have likely heard about 22-year-old Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito. Petito was living the Instagram dream with her fiance, Brian Laundrie. The couple spent the past several months traveling through national parks and documenting their adventures on social media. But the picture-perfect story came to a tragic… -
opinion
‘Pay Your Fair Share’ Taxation Isn’t About Actual Fairness
President Joe Biden this week attempted to inject life into his ailing presidency by dragging out of the closet the hoariest of political cliches: “fairness” in taxation. Touting his new $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending bill, which would radically increase corporate taxes, personal income taxes, and so-called sin taxes, Biden stated, “It’s not enough just to build… -
news
Sen. Ron Johnson Grills Secretary Mayorkas About ‘Closed’ Borders Claim
Editor’s note: During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., grilled Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the surge of illegal immigration under the Biden administration. Watch the video above, or read this lightly edited transcript: Ron Johnson: Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, I’m putting a chart that I’ve been… -
opinion
As Secularism in America Has Increased, Freedom Has Decreased
Here’s something any honest person must acknowledge: As America has become more secular, it has become less free. Individuals can differ as to whether these two facts are correlated, but no honest person can deny they are facts. It seems to me indisputable that they are correlated. To deny this, one would have to argue… -
opinion
Democrats’ Drug Price Controls Threaten Biotech Research, Patients
There are too many dreadful provisions in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending monstrosity to count, but one is rising to the surface as especially destructive. That would be its prescription drug price-control schemes. A study by University of Chicago economist Tomas Philipson and analyst Troy Durie concludes that the Congressional Budget Office is wrong by more… -
opinion
The Real Story of the California Recall
Forget what you hear most pundits saying about last week’s recall election that failed to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The real story is the slow—but gaining-in-speed—exodus from California to states with lower or no state taxes. This mass exit likely reduced the number of people who might have voted to oust Newsom. Then there’s… -
news
4 Reasons Reagan Should Matter to Millennials, Gen Z
Ronald Reagan warned us. In 1987, as president, Reagan stood on a stage at the Kiwanis International National Convention and said that “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” To this day, Reagan’s warning is repeated among freedom-loving Americans. But the question remains whether millennials, age 25-40, and Generation Z, age 9-… -
opinion
Democrats Plot War on New Drugs
The $3.5 trillion spending orgy supported by President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Bernie Sanders includes a poison pill—almost literally. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that HR 3, called the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, would help “pay for” this fiscal incontinence by squeezing $581.6 billion from the pharmaceutical industry over the next 10 years. More than… -
opinion
Why Taiwan Matters to the World
In his recent commentary titled “Reimagining A More Resilient UN System With Taiwan In It,” Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu presented a case for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the global body. Wu said, “Taiwan’s effective response to the pandemic, its rapid capacity expansion to meet global supply chain demand, and its substantive…