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 Enduring Relevance of Reagan’s Speech to the British Parliament
President Ronald Reagan’s speech to the British Parliament at Westminster, delivered on June 8, 1982, continues to inspire in its vision and relevance. When Reagan gave his eloquent review of the Cold War and prediction about its final decade, he famously stated that the Soviet Union and its ideas would end up on the “ash… -
news
Why These 5 People Think We Shouldn’t Forget Tiananmen Square
Thirty years after the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government continues to commit human rights abuses. Officials burn Bibles, force hundreds of thousands of Uighur Muslims into re-education camps, and sterilize women who violate the one-child policy. A crowd gathered Tuesday on the West Lawn of the Capitol for an event organized by the Victims… -
news
Ben Sasse Mocks Democrats for Suspicions About the Knights of Columbus
GOP Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska chided Democrats for pressing judicial nominees about their membership in the Knights of Columbus Wednesday, joking that some lawmakers have treated the Knights like the fanatical religious cult in “The Da Vinci Code.” Sasse made the remarks during a nomination hearing for U.S. District Judge Peter Phipps, President Donald… -
opinion
Giving Barr Declassification Authority Is a Needed Ray of Sunshine
An unprecedented event took place when President Donald Trump gave Attorney General William Barr authority to declassify millions of pages of sensitive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court material, investigative documents, and related material to assist with the investigation into the genesis of the Trump-Russia investigation. This caused hew and cry about the danger of the… -
opinion
D-Day’s ‘Forgotten’ Woman
Observances of the 75th anniversary of D-Day are properly focusing on the troops and the architect of Operation Overlord, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who freed Europe from Hitler and his Nazi hordes. One person—a woman—has not received the credit she deserves for her efforts with the French Resistance. Without her daring and heroism, the war… -
opinion
Mike Lee’s Constitutional Vision Is Exactly What Congress Needs
Should a president of the United States have the authority to remove from office those principal officers he appointed to serve in his administration, and who were confirmed by the Senate? Since the Constitution vests the executive power in a president, and that power includes the power to appoint upper-level executive branch officers, doesn’t it… -
opinion
Government’s War on E-Cigarettes Ignores Their Benefits
Sometimes, it feels like we live in Bizarro World, where everything is the opposite of what we would expect. Consider, for example, the regulation of e-cigarettes and other alternatives to traditional cigarettes. Those who advocate policies that would help maintain existing levels of cigarette smoking are somehow viewed as the “righteous.” The Tobacco Control Act,… -
news
‘Full-Blown Emergency’: Southern Border Arrests Surge
The surge of illegal immigrants coming across the southern border in May increased by about one-third from a month before. The Central American migration boom that has been overwhelming Border Patrol agents for almost a year, but they took 144,278 illegal border crossers were apprehended according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “This latest number… -
opinion
On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, Sacrifices at Normandy Must Not Be Forgotten
At 6:30 a.m., many people are brewing their morning coffee and getting ready for the day ahead. At 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, however, the first wave of American, British, and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, in what would be the largest seaborne invasion in history. This year marks the… -
news
Tiananmen Square Remembrance Sheds Light on Tyranny of Communism
Thirty years ago, a series of student-led demonstrations in Beijing were put to an end, violently, by China’s military. After months of peaceful protests in 1989, the Chinese Communist Party unleashed the might of its military on the unarmed civilians: this included the use of machine guns and tanks. Unofficial death tolls are often estimated… -
opinion
Repealing the Tax Cuts Would Hit Middle Class and Workers
Many Democrats would like to repeal the 2017 tax cuts. But how would that affect ordinary Americans? If the tax cuts were reversed, the typical American could be $26,900 poorer over the following 10 years. And families would be hit even harder: A family of four could face an average loss of $45,700 in their… -
opinion
How Long Will Amazon Follow Southern Poverty Law Center’s ‘Hate Group’ Slander?
As confirmed at a recent shareholders’ meeting, Amazon generated over $232 billion last year and has arguably set the gold standard for innovation. Indeed, Amazon employs nearly 650,000 men and women all over the world—a number that doesn’t account for the millions of third-party sellers who use the Amazon platform for sales and logistics, and… -
opinion
American Soldiers on D-Day Set the Bar for Courage
KYIV, Ukraine—This week we honor the soldiers who saved Europe by storming the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago on D-Day—June 6, 1944. These soldiers were not born and bred to be warriors. No, they were born as free men, with other plans besides going to war. Family. Career. A life lived with purpose in… -
opinion
Taylor Swift Waited 30 Years to Get Political. Sadly, She’s Still Misinformed.
To celebrate Pride Month, Taylor Swift took to social media to blast out a rainbow-colored petition asking fans and lawmakers alike to support the Equality Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under federal civil rights law. “While we have so much to celebrate, we also have a… -
opinion
Why Celebrity Politics Matters
Celebrities emerged from their Hollywood cocoon this week to sound off on abortion law … in Georgia. If this sounds bizarre, that’s because it is: The people of Georgia don’t spend an awful lot of time trying to control the policies of New York or California. Yet the greatest and most moral among us–people who… -
news
ICE Acting Director Says Family Deportations Are on the Table
Acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Mark Morgan said his agency is not ruling out the possibility of arresting and deporting migrant families that have been ordered to leave the U.S. “The mindset is no one is exempted. You’re either in violation of the law or not, and we take it from there,”… -
news
17-Year-Old Girl Dies After Request to Be Legally Euthanized in the Netherlands
A teen in the Netherlands died Sunday at her home after requesting to be legally euthanized following years of depression following sexual abuses and rape when she was younger. Initial reports claimed Noa Pothoven died via legal euthanasia, but it is now being reported doctors ultimately denied her request. The 17-year-old said that her suffering… -
news
4 Things to Know About House Democrats’ ‘Dream and Promise’ Amnesty
The House has passed legislation 237-187 that would grant citizenship to an estimated 2.5 million undocumented immigrants, in a largely party-line vote. “America’s Dreamers represent the constant reinvigoration of our country. Today, the House will pass the American Dream [and] Promise Act—an historic step for immigrants and communities across America,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,… -
opinion
Why So Many Mass Shootings? Ask the Right Questions and You Might Find Out
This past weekend, Americans learned of another mass shooting, this time by an employee who decided to murder as many of the people he had worked with for years as possible. As of this writing, the murder toll is 12 people. Every American asks why. What was the killer’s motive? When we read there is… -
opinion
Idaho’s Spring Cleaning for Regulations an Idea Worth Replicating
Imagine if government rules had an expiration date. What if, each decade, every state law, regulation, or administrative rule ended by default unless lawmakers took specific action to keep it on the books? Idaho just did that — but not on purpose. The Idaho Legislature’s inaction in April allowed more than 8,000 pages of administrative…