Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
Ocasio-Cortez Parts Ways With Her Chief of Staff
The chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has departed from her Washington office to work with an outside group focused on pushing the Green New Deal, her office announced. Besides chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti, also departing from Ocasio-Cortez’s D.C. office is her communications director, Corbin Trent, who will take a similar role… -
opinion
Baltimore, Land of Political Footballs
Back in April 2015, a young black man named Freddie Gray was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department. He’d run from the police, had an illegal knife in his pocket, and resisted arrest. The police loaded Gray into the back of the van but allegedly failed to secure him in place. During the ride to… -
news
Lawmakers Sound Off After El Paso, Dayton Shootings
Members of Congress took to social media to denounce the shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Texas, which left 21 dead and 26 wounded or injured, and in Dayton, Ohio, which left nine dead and 27 wounded or injured. The El Paso shooting suspect, 21, was charged Sunday with capital murder and is being… -
opinion
I Know From Experience This Urban Agenda Would Lift Baltimore and Other Cities
You may not like the messenger, but embedded in the recent political dust-up about the crime, poverty, and despair in Baltimore were some undeniable truths. If nothing else comes out of this latest debate, the bright light is now shining on a very inconvenient reality: Liberal policies have failed the people of Baltimore and inner… -
opinion
What These 2 Young Reporters Are Learning During Their Summer in DC
On today’s episode of The Daily Signal Podcast, we talk with Daily Signal reporting interns Carmel Kookogey and Kaylee Greenlee about their summer in Washington, D.C. They share highlights from their internships and offer some advice to other college students aspiring to move to our nation’s capital. Also on today’s show: Heritage Foundation intern Abby… -
opinion
Why Welfare Hasn’t Cured Poverty
When President Lyndon Johnson launched his War on Poverty in the 1960s, he pledged to eliminate poverty in America. More than five decades, several welfare programs, and $25 trillion later, the welfare system has utterly failed the poor. The poverty rate remains mostly unchanged, and tens of millions of Americans are dependent on government assistance…. -
news
Prosecutors Treat El Paso Shooting as Domestic Terrorism
Federal prosecutors are treating the shooting in El Paso, Texas, which left 20 dead Saturday, as an act of domestic terrorism and possible hate crime that could carry the death penalty. “We’re also treating it as a domestic terrorism case, and we’re going to do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is… -
news
‘Hispanic Invasion’: Alleged El Paso Shooter’s Manifesto Reads as Call to Arms
The man who police say committed the deadly shooting spree in El Paso, Texas, is believed to have published an anti-immigrant manifesto minutes before the attack. Law enforcement officials said they were confident that an anti-immigrant screed posted online belongs to Patrick Wood Crusius, 21, who they said is responsible for Saturday’s mass shooting at a Walmart in… -
opinion
When Farm Investigators Are Cowed and Gagged
Recording events from public land shouldn’t be a crime. Yet when a woman in Utah, standing by a public road, filmed farmworkers pushing a cow with a bulldozer, the farmer drove up to her and said, “You cannot videotape my property.” Soon the police came and local prosecutors charged her with “agricultural operation interference.” They… -
news
Man Says Teens Beat Him for Wearing MAGA Hat
A New York City man says he was beaten by a group of teenagers in Manhattan for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. Jahangir “John” Turan, an art gallery owner, purchased a MAGA hat Tuesday after visiting Trump Tower, Fox 5 reported. Turan told reporters Thursday that he was attacked by a group of about 15 “kids” on Canal… -
opinion
When My College Art Class Became a Political Ambush
One afternoon during my sophomore year at the University of Virginia, I had to attend a presentation from the college’s residential artist for an art class that I was taking. As I sat down in the auditorium, I listened intently to the artist, hoping to gain some insight into his creativity. Instead, the situation quickly… -
news
Judge Blocks New York From Turning Over Trump Tax Returns to Congress
A federal judge has blocked New York state from turning over President Donald Trump’s tax returns to Congress. The order from U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, came Thursday in agreement to a proposal from the state that would allow it to challenge Nichols’ jurisdiction over the issue, Politico reported. The order will block… -
opinion
EPA’s Reversal on Alaska’s Pebble Mine a Victory for Regulatory Process
For more than a decade, the owners of Alaska’s Pebble Mine just wanted a shot at going through the permitting phase of the project. But before the mine’s owners could even submit a permit application, the federal government in effect said, “Don’t bother.” The Environmental Protection Agency, however, announced last Wednesday its intention to withdraw… -
opinion
What We Lose When We Erase Thomas Jefferson
A college history professor once told me that rarely do we find historical figures that are all evil or all good. Most are a mix. It’s a thought that has stuck with me, one seemingly self-evident and yet easily overlooked in these days of excessive labeling and pigeonholing of everyone. I believe it’s a sentiment… -
opinion
How Cutting the Corporate Tax Rate Is Helping Everyone
You won’t find the global competition to cut taxes reported on the front pages of The New York Times or The Washington Post, but that competition has been happening right under our noses for decades. It’s increasing economic freedom, and persuasively demonstrating its importance and influencing decisions made by individuals and entrepreneurs every waking moment…. -
opinion
This 113-Year-Old Law Is Hurting American Ports
Imagine you had a leaky roof and you found a company that could fix the problem for less money and more efficiently. But the federal government said you couldn’t use them. That’s what’s going on with America’s ports. The Foreign Dredge Act of 1906 prohibits any foreign-built or chartered ships from dredging in the U.S…. -
opinion
If Medicare Is for All, Why Not Chevrolets for All?
America suffers from a grave societal ill that somehow has been totally ignored. As debate rages about health care (among other hot-button issues), no one is discussing a very alarming statistic: As of 2015, nearly 10% of U.S. households didn’t have a car. That’s a severe problem, because affordable transportation is a basic human right,… -
opinion
Osama bin Laden’s Son Is Likely Dead. Here’s What It Means.
Hamza bin Laden, the son and heir of Osama bin Laden, is almost certainly dead. While his demise has not yet been confirmed by al-Qaeda, U.S. officials have felt confident enough to brief media outlets that the younger bin Laden was killed at some point after January 2017. It’s unclear to what extent the U.S…. -
opinion
‘Fixing’ Our Democracy Would Only Make Matters Worse.
During Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate, Pete Buttigieg proposed a raft of supposed “reforms” that have, until recently, been the provenance of fringe groups and politicians such as D.C.’s nonvoting Democratic congresswoman, Eleanor Holmes Norton. The South Bend, Indiana mayor said: When I propose the actual, structural, democratic reforms that might make a difference—end the…