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
‘Victim’ Status Is the New Prejudice
In the latter half of the 19th century and early in the 20th century, as Catholic immigrants poured in from Ireland and Eastern Europe, an anti-Catholic wave spread over a mostly Protestant United States. The majority slur then was that Catholic newcomers’ first loyalty would be to “Rome,” not the U.S. Anti-Semitism grew even more… -
news
Democrats Release Green New Deal. Here’s What’s in It.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released a resolution that outlines the “Green New Deal” that’s become a central part of the Democratic agenda. The Green New Deal resolution calls for “10-year national mobilizations” toward a series of goals aimed at fighting global warming, according to a copy of the bill obtained by NPR. A separate fact sheet… -
opinion
The End of ‘Believe All Women’
Feminists haven’t been this silent since the Bill Clinton years. Vanessa Tyson came forward Wednesday to accuse Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexually assaulting her during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004, saying in a statement that “What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault.” Tyson, now a politics… -
opinion
Partisan Gridlock Remains Despite President’s Worthy Calls for Unity
Eloquence is not a characteristic associated with President Donald Trump, but in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, the president not only rose to the occasion, he also delivered a message that was beautifully crafted by his speechwriters, a speech devoid of much of the divisive and combative language that has characterized his… -
opinion
Why ‘Medicare for All’ Would Be Bad News for Everyone
Polls from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health with Politico show a majority of Americans favor “Medicare for All” proposals at least in concept, which is simple enough: a single, government-controlled health insurance program that would cover every person residing in the United States. The Harvard-Politico poll found that 68… -
opinion
What We Should Remember Most About Reagan’s Legacy
It has been 30 years since Ronald Reagan left the White House and nearly 15 since he died. As a second generation reaches adulthood since his time in Washington, it is important to remember what he meant to our country and how we still benefit. It was not yet “morning in America” when Reagan took office. His predecessor, Jimmy… -
opinion
San Francisco’s Crusade Against Sugary Beverages Just Hit a Snag
Proponents of government control and coercion suffered a big loss last week. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, well-known for its liberal leanings, helped deliver the blow to those big-government proponents. The court granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the city and county of San Francisco’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warning Ordinance. The… -
opinion
Podcast: Amid Allegations Against Democrat, ‘Believe All Women’ Ends
Now that a woman, Vanessa Tyson, is accusing Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, of sexual assault, the left’s calls to “believe all women” have abruptly stopped. Amy Swearer, a legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, joins us to discuss that and how as a culture we should respond when a woman puts forward… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From Ralph Northam’s Fall From Grace
For all of the light and hope America brings to the world, our experiment in democracy carries moments of darkness and shame. Often the light and the darkness compete for attention at the same moment in time. In 1801, when this young nation shined bright with the peaceful transfer of power from one political party… -
opinion
Baby Killing Is Fine. Yearbook Photos Are the Problem.
Last week, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was hit with a shocking blast from the past: a photo on his medical school yearbook page of a man in blackface and another man in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Northam quickly apologized for the photo, then said he wasn’t in the photo, and then admitted he had… -
opinion
This New York Scientist Is Treating Human Beings Like Lab Rats
A Chinese scientist caused an international scandal late last year when he edited the genes of a pair of unborn twins, in what became known as the CRISPR scandal. But another scientist in New York is doing something quite similar, without incurring the international backlash. His research is rife with ethical concerns and has the… -
opinion
San Francisco’s Liberal Policies Have Made It a Slum
San Francisco is one of the richest cities it the world. It’s given us music, technology, and elegant architecture. Now it gives us filthy homeless encampments. One urban planner told me, “I just returned from the Tenderloin [a section of San Francisco]. It’s worse than slums of India, Haiti, Africa!” So I went to San… -
news
Sen. Joe Manchin Explains Why He Stood During Trump’s Call to Eliminate Late-Term Abortions
Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin stood and cheered a call to ban late-term abortions during President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night State of the Union address. Manchin was one of the few Democratic legislators attending the event who applauded the president’s call to action. Republican lawmakers stood and clapped vigorously, while a majority of Democrats remained in… -
opinion
Podcast: What Ideas Were Good, Bad in the State of the Union
In today’s special edition of the podcast, The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness sits down with a number of Heritage Foundation scholars to get their take on the policy proposals in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. We also cover these stories: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked Neomi Rao, a judicial nominee, whether she… -
opinion
Ignoring Biology Doesn’t Make It Less Real
Suppose I declare that I am a king. Should you be required to address me as “Your Majesty”? You say, “Williams, that’s lunacy! You can’t prove such nonsense.” You’re wrong. It’s proved by my declaration. It’s no different from a person born with XY chromosomes declaring that he is a woman. The XY sex determination… -
news
13 Fact Checks on the State of the Union Address
President Donald Trump spoke for about one hour and 20 minutes Tuesday night in his second State of the Union address, interrupted–by Fox News Channel’s count—102 times by applause. Trump punctuated his speech by saluting the stories of Americans in the gallery: former prison inmates, World War II soldiers, a Holocaust survivor and a… -
news
Fact-Checking 3 Claims Stacey Abrams Made in State of the Union Response
Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic candidate for Georgia governor, gave Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. Abrams, who lost the governor’s race in November to Republican Brian Kemp, is viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party. Here’s a a look at a few of the facts she stated during… -
opinion
Here’s In-Depth Analysis of Trump’s Policy Proposals in State of the Union Address
President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night, and Heritage Foundation experts weighed in with analysis of the president’s policy proposals. Here’s what they had to say. Immigration Economy Law Defense & Foreign Policy Life Energy & Infrastructure Health Care Education Immigration A Call for Robust Border Security President Donald Trump’s… -
opinion
Instead of Criticizing Walmart, Sanders Should Praise the Company for Giving Workers More Paid Time Off
The other day, I gave my 5-year-old daughter a cookie and she complained, “I didn’t want just one.” Walmart—the largest employer in the United States—recently announced that it would provide a new, paid time off bank for workers. It will allow Walmart’s roughly 1.5 million U.S. workers to accumulate up to 48 hours of paid… -
news
Florida Gov. DeSantis Issues 1-Year Deadline to Eliminate All ‘Vestiges’ of Common Core
The day before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced his $91.3 billion budget request for fiscal year 2020, which includes $21.7 billion for education programs, he issued an executive order to do away with “vestiges” of Common Core standards, “streamline” standardized testing, and revise the state’s educational curriculum. In a Jan. 31 press conference at a…