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
The Electoral College Didn’t Protect Slavery
The presidential election in 2016 reminded Americans of the role played by the Electoral College in electing our president. Proponents of abolishing or nullifying the Electoral College and replacing it with a direct-election scheme are trying to delegitimize the traditional process by claiming it is a remnant of America’s racist past, created as part of… -
news
Twitter Blocks Daily Signal’s Kenosha Video With ‘Sensitive Material’ Warning
Twitter put a “sensitive material” label Thursday on The Daily Signal’s news video showing businesses burned by rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Daily Signal’s three-minute video, released late Wednesday, highlights some of the destruction wrought by rioters on the nights of Aug. 23 and 24. The Daily Signal is the multimedia news organization of The… -
opinion
Iran Is Targeting the Strait of Hormuz. The World Needs to Take Heed.
Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is reinforcing its navy in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s aggressive presence in one of the world’s most important regions remains a pressing threat that the international community cannot afford to ignore. We can avoid a costly conflict down the road by paying attention to the signs of… -
opinion
America’s Teenagers Are Losing Their Religion
A few weeks ago, the Pew Research Center came out with its most recent survey on the faith of today’s teenagers. While there are a few nuggets of hope amidst the pages and pages of data, there is one message that does seem to be coming through loud and clear: America’s teenagers are losing their… -
opinion
Problematic Women: Celebrating a Victory in War on Women’s Sports
The playing field has been leveled for female athletes at a small university in New Hampshire. Concerned Women for America filed a civil rights complaint against Franklin Pierce University because of its transgender sports participation and inclusion policy. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights agreed with Concerned Women for America that the policy… -
opinion
A Historian’s Perspective on White House Rivalries, From Truman to Trump
Today’s podcast features an interview that first appeared on our sister podcast “The Right Side of History.” Co-hosts Jarrett Stepman and Fred Lucas speak with presidential historian Tevi Troy about his most recent book “Fight House: Rivalries in the White House From Truman to Trump.” Troy describes how rivalries and conflict on the president’s staff… -
news
What Kenosha Looks Like After Riots and Looting
In just 48 hours, over 40 businesses in the quiet city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, were ravaged by violence, according to the Kenosha Area Business Alliance. Rioters looted and torched shops on the nights of Aug. 23 and 24. The Daily Signal traveled there to see what it looked like. The city of 99,000, situated on Lake… -
opinion
Faced With Lawsuit, Cuomo Reverses Closure of Jewish School in New York City
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio have spent months targeting the Jewish community for gathering for worship services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, some families have become fed up with this behavior, which they consider religious discrimination. Yitzchok and Chana Lebovits send their daughters to Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam,… -
opinion
New Trump Rule Aims to Protect Us From Criminal Aliens Exploiting Asylum System
The departments of Justice and Homeland Security announced the publishing Wednesday of a final rule that seeks to protect both Americans and immigrant communities from domestic abusers, drunken drivers, felons, gang members, and other criminal aliens who are seeking asylum in the United States. This commonsense rule will protect the integrity of the asylum process… -
opinion
The Enduring Wisdom of Russell Kirk
Far from the madding crowd, in the middle of Michigan’s lake-dotted stump country, a special occasion is taking place in the tiny town of Mecosta. Here, a group of conservatives, including the pre-eminent historian of American conservatism, George Nash, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Russell Kirk Center today. Since it is also a… -
news
CHOP Zone Businesses Pursue Lawsuit Against Seattle
The 21 plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the city of Seattle for not enforcing the law against the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP, will get their day in court, though the city’s liability in such matters remains in question. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Zilly of the Western District of Washington issued an… -
opinion
Biden’s Health Care Plans Would Spell End of Private Insurance
President Donald Trump’s key debating point on health policy is substantively correct: Former Vice President Joe Biden’s health proposal would progressively eliminate Americans’ private health insurance and back Americans into a single-payer system of government-controlled health insurance. No need to take Trump’s word for it, either. Weeks ago, the Biden campaign team confirmed that Trump’s… -
opinion
4 Reasons Literature Needs to Be Saved From Its Teachers
“We read a lot of literature in high school,” a first-year student explained to me. “And that’s why I don’t like it.” When I asked her what she had read and how it had been taught, she answered: “‘Huckleberry Finn.’ It shows that slavery is wrong.” If you didn’t know that already, I thought, you… -
opinion
For Now, Florida Judge Stays in Proper Lane on Elections
Florida, like most other states, requires those who wish to vote in upcoming elections to register. Florida’s deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming general election was 11:59 p.m. Oct. 5. To facilitate the process, Florida provides a voter registration website, RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov. Unfortunately, the registration website malfunctioned for several hours on that day, potentially… -
news
Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project Pledges $250M for ‘Reimagining’ Statuary, Public Spaces
One of America’s largest philanthropic organizations, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has announced a commitment to invest $250 million in what it calls the “reimagining” of public spaces and monuments across the country. The Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project, it announced earlier this month, will support efforts to reshape and “recontextualize” America’s public spaces to provide… -
opinion
How Policymakers Can Be a Friend to Small Businesses and Main Street
At the first presidential debate last month, former Vice President Joe Biden declared that the Trump administration “has done nothing for small businesses.” From the perspective of an entrepreneur like myself, the current administration has taken several steps to help small businesses. All candidates would be wise to use these measures as a North Star for future… -
news
NYPD Sees Nearly 90% Rise in Retirements
The New York City Police Department, the largest law enforcement force in the nation, has seen a nearly 90% rise in retirements so far in 2020, the NYPD told Fox News. Around 2,400 officers filed for retirement as of Oct. 6, compared to around 1,300 during the same time frame in 2019, marking an 87%… -
opinion
Pelosi Bill to Remove President From Office Is a Needless Political Stunt
Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed earlier this month that President Donald Trump is “in an altered state right now,” she is the one who appears to be in an “altered state” if she thinks she can use congressional authority under the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office. It seems that having failed to remove Trump through the… -
opinion
This Marine Is Fighting to Save Portland From Ruin
Marine veteran Gabe Johnson is on a mission to save Portland, Oregon, from lawlessness. Johnson and several others founded the Coalition to Save Portland, which is standing with the Portland Police Bureau and calling on local and state leaders to end nearly five months of riots and restore order. Johnson revisits the show to talk… -
opinion
Unmarried Birth Rates and Fatherless Households: A National Crisis
In a recent television appearance, I discussed my appointment to a presidential commission called “The Social Status of Black Men and Black Boys.” I called fatherless households America’s top domestic problem, a particularly severe phenomenon in the black community where nearly 70% of kids begin their lives in households with unmarried mothers. I then received…