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
Here’s How Safe We Are 17 Years After 9/11
Seventeen years ago, 19 terrorists hijacked four planes and used them to attack the United States. Almost 3,000 people were murdered. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history. Following that tragic day, the U.S. dramatically changed the way it approached terrorism. New government agencies and departments were created, like the Department of Homeland… -
opinion
Daily Signal Podcast: Monday, Sept. 10
On today’s show, we feature an interview with Eli Pariser, a guest you might not expect to hear on The Daily Signal Podcast. Pariser is the former executive director of MoveOn.org and founder of Upworthy. You’ll want to find out what this progressive is saying to conservatives. Also on today’s show: We speak with Tim Doescher, co-host of… -
opinion
We Hear You: What the Thoughts of County Fairgoers Say About America Today
Editor's note: Our reporting of what's on the minds of some of those attending a county fair in Ohio prompted dozens of emails and other comments. A sampling leads this week's mailbag. Don't forget to write us at [email protected]—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I have to say I was more than delighted to read Rachel… -
opinion
Media Misses: New York Times Op-Ed Sends Media Into Frenzy
We break down the top media moments this week—and plenty of misses. This week’s news cycle has been dominated by the anonymous New York Times op-ed written by a Trump administration official with major news networks covering it nonstop, calling it a quote “constitutional crisis,” and some are suggesting a need for invoking the 25th… -
opinion
Norway’s Boardroom Gender Quota Didn’t Work. California May Try It Anyway.
From making war on straws to policing speech, California leads the nation in adopting half-baked ideas from Europe. The latest craze is a bill that would force publicly held companies to put women on their boards by 2019. Specifically, companies would have to add at least one woman to their board by the end of 2019,… -
opinion
Transgender Pronouns Are Just the Beginning. How Coerced Speech Could Erode Liberty for Everyone.
During the past decade, transgender ideology has gained significant ground in society and culture. And, as its demands have been translated into public policy, it threatens not only the livelihood of public employees who don’t conform to speech codes, but also the free and democratic nature of American society. These are not idle fears. Consider… -
opinion
Daily Signal Podcast: Friday, Sept. 7
Pennsylvania is taking a page out of the Obama playbook. A state commission in Pennsylvania is attempting to impose gender ideology on residents of the state by going around the legislature. The Heritage Foundation’s Monica Burke explains. Plus: We discuss the now-infamous article written by a self-identified resistance person in the Trump administration. We also… -
news
Meet the Conservative Alternative to the AARP
The 60 Plus Association was created more than 25 years ago as an alternative to the AARP for American seniors. Earlier this year, longtime conservative leader Saul Anuzis was named president, succeeding founder Jim Martin. The Daily Signal's Rob Bluey and Ginny Montalbano recently spoke to Anuzis and Martin about the organization. An edited transcript… -
opinion
California Is Changing Its Bail System. The Reforms Are Hopeful, but Unproven.
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Aug. 28 signed state Senate Bill 10 into law, which will entirely replace California’s cash bail system with a risk-assessment bail system. Under the new law, which will take effect Oct. 1, 2019, California judges will no longer impose monetary bail conditions on criminal defendants who are in jail while… -
opinion
Daily Signal Podcast: Thursday, Sept. 6
Wednesday was Day Two of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. Senators probed him on a range of hot-button issues, including Roe vs. Wade. Heritage legal fellow Elizabeth Slattery joins us to discuss how the hearing is going. Plus: The woman sitting behind Kavanaugh gets accused of white supremacy. We also cover these… -
opinion
‘First Man’ Omission of the Flag Will Not Rewrite US History
The director and the star of “First Man,” a forthcoming film about Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11, are congratulating themselves for leaving out one of the most dramatic moments in spaceflight and, indeed, 20th-century history, namely, astronaut Armstrong’s planting the American flag on the moon. The reason: We mustn’t be “jingoistic.” What’s next? Omitting the… -
opinion
There Was Never a Bipartisan, Civil Era. There Has Always Been a Battle of Ideas in the US.
The passing of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was marked by a sea of eulogies mourning the end of an era of civility and compromise. What has happened, they ask, to those noble, bipartisan days of yesteryear, and how have we descended into today’s crude and primitive tribalism? I read this stuff and wonder where I… -
opinion
A Faith-Based Adoption Agency Helped Me in Crisis. Now, These Agencies Are Under Attack.
The minutes on the hospital clock dwindled as I swaddled my infant daughter one last time before she was placed in the arms of her adoptive parents. In those final moments, I thought my heart might shatter. I was broken. Then I felt a hand placed on top of mine and looked into the face… -
opinion
Pennsylvania Agency Goes Around Legislature to Impose Gender Ideology
A Pennsylvania agency has made an end run around citizens to impose gender ideology. Last month, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission released new guidance reinterpreting the category of “sex” in state anti-discrimination law to include “sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, and/or gender expression.” The commission circumvented the state Legislature, which… -
opinion
The Daily Signal Podcast: Wednesday, Sept. 6
Religious freedom is facing new threats here in America, but you don’t have to look very far overseas to see that we still have it remarkably good. Andreas Thonhauser of ADF International weighs in about the state of religious freedom abroad, and what his organization is doing to fight for it. Plus: The next season… -
opinion
South Africa Will Go the Way of Zimbabwe If It Doesn’t Change Course
South Africa has been thrown into the news because of President Donald Trump’s recent tweet that he instructed his secretary of state to “closely study” alleged land seizures from white farmers in South Africa. Earlier this year, a land confiscation motion was brought by radical Marxist opposition leader Julius Malema, and it passed South Africa’s… -
news
Tucker Carlson on Nike, Kaepernick: ‘Real Problem’ That the ‘Most Successful’ in US ‘Hate This Society’
Tucker Carlson criticized Nike executives for using former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the company’s “decadent” ad campaign and said its message is an attack on the country. Kaepernick was just chosen to represent Nike in its “Just Do It” 30-year anniversary campaign. Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO — Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7)… -
news
California on Cusp of Banning Short-Term Health Coverage
State lawmakers in California are close to banning inexpensive, short-term health insurance plans backed by the Trump administration as a cheaper alternative to Obamacare. State Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-Azusa, has urged California Gov. Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, to sign his legislation to ban the short-term health plans, which passed both houses of the Legislature…. -
opinion
She’s Allergic to Grass Pollen, and the Local Government Is Forcing Her to Grow Turf Grass
For four years, Carl and Janice Duffner of St. Peters, Missouri, have been fighting the city’s enforcement of a mandate to grow turf grass in their yard despite Janice Duffner’s grass pollen allergy. Now facing potential cumulative penalties of more than 20 years in prison and $180,000 in fines, the Duffners’ case is pending before… -
opinion
Public Employees Won Big Over Unions This Summer. Here’s the Next Fight Ahead.
This past Labor Day weekend, it was fitting to honor and celebrate the hardworking public servants who teach our children, pave our roads, and serve in state and local government across the country. Unfortunately, many of these servants are being denied their free speech rights by state governments that force them to accept representation by…