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
A Health Crisis Is No Time to Pick a Fight Over Beliefs About Marriage
After New York City became America’s epicenter for COVID-19 infections, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on medical personnel from around the nation to help if they can. Hundreds, possibly thousands, answered the call, including the nonprofit, faith-based organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham. Despite the fact that New… -
opinion
Faith-Filled Americans, Please Stay Home
As the coronavirus continues to rapidly spread, many state and local governments are issuing shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders backed by criminal penalties. What do these mean for the spiritual life of Americans—particularly with Passover and Easter coming soon? It’s important to first note that these orders do not target or single out houses of worship… -
opinion
In North Carolina, Abortions Are Essential, but It’s Arrests for Pro-Lifers
If there’s one thing David Benham isn’t social distancing from, it’s his convictions. So when police showed up outside a North Carolina abortion clinic that was still operating on Saturday and told his group to stop counseling pregnant moms, he didn’t blink. If abortions can continue during the coronavirus, he insisted, then so should pro-life… -
opinion
Nation of Georgia Is America’s Proven Ally in Fighting Common Challenges
The South Caucasus nation of Georgia has become an important partner for the United States on a range of critical global issues. The small but strategically located nation is on the front lines of efforts to contain Russian expansionism, and it has contributed thousands of troops to support U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now,… -
opinion
Maybe Nature Shouldn’t Be Worshipped After All
A statement widely attributed to the great British thinker G. K. Chesterton describes the modern period as perfectly as any single idea can: “When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.” One of these substitute gods has been nature. Indeed, of all the false gods, nature is probably… -
opinion
The Constitution Doesn’t Mean Whatever Judges Think It Does
Many Americans know precious little about our system of government; the judicial branch is especially mysterious. In a recent article published in The Atlantic, Harvard Law School professor Adrian Vermeule deepens that confusion by rejecting how America’s Founders designed the judiciary to follow the Constitution in favor of judges’ power to control the Constitution. The… -
opinion
Washington’s Wasteful Service Mandates Threaten the Airline Industry
You’d think that if Congress made it a point to bail out an industry with tens of billions of taxpayer dollars, it wouldn’t sabotage it at the same time. Yet this is exactly what is happening to airlines as a result of Washington’s politics-first fixation with preserving low-traffic airports. The travel sector of the economy… -
opinion
Presidential Prayers: Turning to God in Times of Need
Since the founding of the Republic, Americans have appealed to God in times of crisis. From George Washington to Donald Trump, our presidents have been no exception. One of Ronald Reagan’s favorite images was that of Gen. George Washington kneeling in the snow at Valley Forge, when the American cause seemed hopeless. That image, Reagan… -
opinion
US-Canada Relationship: An Enduring Partnership of Free-Market Economies
Canada and the United States have a profound and multifaceted partnership and alliance, strengthened by shared values and interests. The bilateral cooperation between the two countries reflects our common history and mutual commitment to address the most serious bilateral, multilateral, and global issues. In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to remember… -
opinion
Mike Lindell, Not the Media, Is the Hero
MyPillow CEO Michael Lindell, a self-made former crack addict, is going to transform 75% of his manufacturing capacity to make 10,000 cotton face masks per day by the end of the week, ramping up production to 50,000 a day in a month. That sounds like a patriotic act to me, especially given that Lindell is… -
opinion
Idaho Becomes First State to Protect Women’s Sports From Transgender Agenda
Idaho Gov. Brad Little has given women athletes renewed hope. Faced with a politically correct culture that is denying women the right to a fair playing field in sports, the Republican governor signed into law new protections for them. Recognizing “inherent differences between men and women,” Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act provides that “athletic… -
opinion
America Still a Global Leader Even in a Time of Crisis
A current global myth alleges that America under the Trump administration is not leading the world fight against the coronavirus in its accustomed role as the postwar global leader. Yet the U.S. was the first major nation to issue a travel ban on flights from China, with President Donald Trump making that announcement on Jan…. -
opinion
Why National Environmental Policy Act Reform Matters for National Parks
One of the hidden blessings of the coronavirus pandemic is the chance to social distance at national parks, free of admission. This doesn’t make it “worth it”—not even close. But parks are wisely following state guidance to make individual decisions about whether to close public access or take individual measures to reduce risk by closing… -
opinion
Free People Take Responsibility and Solve Problems
Several months ago, before anyone imagined the current crisis, I read a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Frankl was a Jewish Viennese psychiatrist who was captured by the Nazis during World War II and managed to survive four concentration camps, including the infamous Auschwitz and Dachau. He went through the ordeal… -
news
Textile Industry Aims to Manufacture 10 Million Face Masks a Week
Businesses that normally make underwear are among those pivoting almost seamlessly to make protective face masks during the coronavirus crisis. Parkdale Mills Inc., one of America’s largest yarn spinners, has formed a coalition with eight other companies, including Fruit of the Loom and Hanesbrands, to produce 10 million face masks a week for health care… -
news
Texas Governor Deems Religious Services Essential
As authorities arrest pastors for holding Sunday services in defiance of social distancing orders, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that religious services are to be considered essential in his state. Abbott issued an executive order relating to statewide continuity of essential services and activities during the coronavirus pandemic. The order mandated that all Texans will minimize… -
opinion
A Warning From the Dark Hole of Debt
It is not cognitive dissonance—the impossibility of holding two or more contradictory beliefs simultaneously—to favor the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump while worrying about what the increasing national debt (nearing $24 trillion and counting) will do to the country. Are we mortgaging our future for the… -
opinion
When Can Life Return to Normal? 4 Signs to Monitor
Americans can’t wait for the restrictions on their movements and interactions—widely known as social distancing—to end. That’s completely understandable. The coronavirus crisis has widely disrupted modern life. But as we learned Sunday, the Trump administration’s commonsense “stop the spread” increased mitigation strategy is with us for a while—at least till the end of April. Based on the… -
opinion
Managing a Disaster
I’m not sure whether COVID-19, first identified in Wuhan, China, qualifies as a true disaster in the U.S. Putting the disease in perspective, we might look at current influenza illnesses. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, between Oct. 1, 2019, and March 14, 2020, there have been 390,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations as… -
opinion
How Crises Shine a Light on the ‘Forgotten American’
In times of crisis such as we face now with the coronavirus pandemic, presidents often speak movingly of the “forgotten Americans.” But they’re not always talking about the same Americans. In 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt defined “the forgotten man” as being “at the bottom of the economic pyramid”—down-and-out workers who, stuck between the breadline and a…