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
Offering In-Person College Classes in Fall Is Needed for Student Visas—and Normalcy
July is typically a busy month for State Department consular officers around the world interviewing student visa applicants as many foreign students seek to travel to the U.S. to begin their academic year in August. As with many other aspects of our lives, however, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc upon both the new academic year and… -
opinion
Rep. Chip Roy: It’s Time to ‘Unapologetically’ Remind People About America’s ‘Greatness’
In the midst of protests, riots, and attempts to tear down our nation’s monuments, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, recently took time to visit monuments across the country, stopping at Independence Hall, Fort McHenry, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and the U.S. Capitol. He joins The Daily Signal Podcast… -
opinion
Trump’s Right. We’re Now Reckoning With a Generation of Anti-American Indoctrination.
“The union of these four presidents carved on the face of the everlasting hills of South Dakota will constitute a distinctly national monument.” So said President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 when he made a dedication of the newly begun project to carve the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt into… -
opinion
Agenda of Black Lives Matter Is Far Different From Slogan
Many see the slogan Black Lives Matter as a plea to secure the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans, especially historically wronged African Americans. They add the BLM hashtag to their social media profiles, carry BLM signs at protests, and make financial donations. Tragically, when they do donate, they… -
opinion
House Transit Bill Is an Expressway to More Debt and Centralized Power in Washington
Independence Day weekend, typically a festive time, saw many parades and parties canceled as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, the House went into the holiday weekend doing what it loves most; namely, passing legislation to spend trillions of taxpayer dollars and further centralize power in Washington. The bill in question, the… -
news
These 18 Corporations Gave Money to Radical Black Lives Matter Group
Some of America’s largest corporations have pledged or donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the main Black Lives Matter organization, founded by “trained Marxists,” that calls for replacing the nuclear family with a “village.” Prominent brands giving money include Amazon, Microsoft, Nabisco, Gatorade, Airbnb, and the Atlantic and Warner record labels. >>> Update: During… -
opinion
Frederick Douglass Statue Toppling Is About ‘Creating Chaos’
A Frederick Douglass statue is one of the latest victims in a long string of monument defacement over the past several weeks. On the 168th anniversary of Douglass’ famous speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” his statue was torn from its base in Rochester, New York, and significantly damaged. The Rev…. -
news
Meat-Inspection Regulatory Reforms Could Help Avert Future Shortages, Experts Say
America experienced meat shortages at some grocery stores this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say reforms are needed to the meat-inspection process that could help prevent similar shortages in the future. Jayson Lusk, professor and head of the agricultural economics department at Purdue University, explained at a recent Heritage Foundation webinar, “The Meat… -
opinion
Local Tribunal Attempts to Disenfranchise Citizens to Keep Town Council Positions
A closely contested municipal election for five seats on the Harpers Ferry Town Council in West Virginia highlights the small margins with which some elections are decided, particularly local elections. It also shows how just a small amount of fraud, or—as in this case—administrative errors, can be a deciding factor in the outcome. The Supreme Court of… -
news
Vandals Tear Down Statue of Frederick Douglass, Drag It to River
A statue of black abolitionist and freed slave Frederick Douglass was ripped off its concrete base and dragged away in a Rochester, New York, park Sunday night. The statue was discovered damaged 50 feet from its base and along a nearby river, The Democrat and Chronicle reported. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for… -
opinion
The Mob Comes for America
As Independence Day draws near, the nation is seemingly filled with more anti-American sentiment than celebration, or so the media would have you believe. Crowds of protesters have turned on the very nation that protects their right to assemble, speak, and petition the government. Now, they are even coming for President Abraham Lincoln. Would the… -
opinion
Universities Sowing Seeds of Own Obsolescence
When mobs tore down a statue of Ulysses S. Grant and defaced a monument to African American veterans of the Civil War, many people wondered whether the protesters had ever learned anything in high school or college. Did any of these iconoclasts know the difference between Grant and Robert E. Lee? Could they recognize the… -
opinion
No, the French Revolution Was Not a Good Thing
Is America headed for a French-style revolution along the lines of the one in 1789? Let’s hope not. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said as much in a tweet comparing Democrats to French revolutionaries. But some of the responses to him were strange, to say the least. Dan Saltzstein, an editor at The New York Times,… -
opinion
Remembering Frederick Douglass’ Great Fourth of July Speech in Context
Each Independence Day, my social media feed divides in two: half commemorates the declaration of our nation’s independence from Great Britain, while the other laments the hypocrisy that a nation founded on the idea of liberty would have simultaneously tolerated slavery. In the last few years, I’ve been pleased that both sides seem to freely… -
news
Texas Congressman Tours American Landmarks: ‘I Pledge to Defend Them!’
At a time when America’s monuments and statues are under attack from an angry mob, a Texas congressman took a road trip to personally visit and defend our nation’s landmarks ahead of the Independence Day holiday. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and members of his congressional staff traveled to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and several landmarks in Washington,… -
opinion
Independence Day Is a Time to Reaffirm That America Must Stay Strong to Preserve Peace
This is an article in a series on the importance of achieving peace through strength and keeping U.S. national security strong. Both long have been Heritage Foundation principles and a great foundation for America’s national power. Some voices call for reducing defense spending to focus on the response to COVID-19, but the need to fully… -
opinion
3 Reasons America Is Great
Independence Day in 2020 will have great meaning to many Americans. As we’ve seen many symbols of America’s past get literally smashed by mobs, it’s important for those who still love their country to reflect on why it is exceptional and worth fighting for. America has always been great and can be greater still. This… -
opinion
Sen. Mike Lee: ‘The Mob Hates America on America’s Dime. It’s Time to Cut Off Their Allowance.’
On the floor of the U.S. Senate Thursday, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah delivered an impassioned speech condemning mob violence in the United States. Lee offered a resolution, which his Democrat colleague, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, attempted to amend by inserting language attacking President Donald Trump. Menendez then repeatedly tried to silence… -
news
A Deeper Look at Black Lives Matter and Its Impact
Standing behind vandals who attempted to pull down the bronze statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House last week is a loosely configured, increasingly well-funded network of Black Lives Matter activists bent on constraining and defunding law enforcement. An area called Black Lives Matter Plaza became the staging ground for more than 100 demonstrators,… -
opinion
America’s Founding Was Greatest Anti-Slavery Movement in History
This Independence Day, more than any in living memory, it is vitally important that we reflect upon that greatest of all anti-slavery documents, the Declaration of Independence. That document in turn launched the greatest abolitionist movement in human history: the United States of America. The United States was not founded as a regime of institutionalized…