Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
news
Why This California City Voted to Defy State’s Sanctuary Law
A small California city has voted to exempt itself from a statewide sanctuary law, making it one of the few jurisdictions to formally reject the state’s resistance to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. City Council members in Los Alamitos, an Orange County city of about 12,000, voted 4-1 on Monday night to opt out of… -
opinion
US Shouldn’t Hold to Strict ‘Gold Standard’ on Saudi Nuclear Deal
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting the U.S. this week, and one issue on his agenda will be to continue discussing collaboration with the U.S. to develop a nuclear power sector. Likely timed to send a message during his visit to America, a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee scheduled a hearing for… -
news
Sen. Ben Sasse’s 6 Big Ideas to Frame the Issue of Trade
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., has made his mark in the Senate as an articulate defender of conservative principles. He has been at the forefront of the debate over trade, tariffs, and protectionism. Sasse appeared on a Heritage Foundation panel Friday focused on trade and the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, in terms of… -
opinion
Don’t Tax the Net
“Creative destruction.” When I first heard the term in school, I thought it must have been a mistake. How can creation destroy? And how can destruction be creative? The phrase seemed so at odds with itself as to sound like a contradiction. Thank God for teachers. Mine explained the term, and everything became clear. Creation… -
opinion
This Man Wants to Build 2 Houses. California Regulations Have Stonewalled Him for 20 Years.
Thomas Mahon never thought it would take 20 years to build two houses in California. But that’s exactly how long it’s taken—and his legal fight isn’t even over. His fight shows how overregulation is driving the state’s current housing crisis. And some state politicians are promising to make things worse. The upshot is that other… -
opinion
Why It’s Not Sexist to Criticize Pelosi
The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness appeared on “Fox & Friends” this morning to explain why it’s not sexist to criticize House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Watch her take above. -
opinion
Podcast: The Week in Review, Plus Mollie Hemingway on the Media’s Bad Behavior
On this Friday’s edition of The Daily Signal podcast, Rob Bluey and Ginny Montalbano speak with Mollie Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist and a Fox News contributor. Hemingway discusses the school safety debate, the role Twitter plays in our political discourse, and how she and her husband manage to raise a family in… -
opinion
Larry Kudlow Is a Big Upgrade for the White House
President Donald Trump will reportedly name Larry Kudlow head of the White House National Economic Council. For fans of pro-growth policies—deregulation, low taxation, and open trade—it’s great news for obvious reasons. Kudlow has been a decadeslong champion of these ideas, and those with coherent philosophies tend to offer some stability and continuity. This administration could… -
news
Q&A: Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mia Love on Empowering Women
March is Women’s History Month and while the mainstream media tends to ignore the contributions that conservative women make to society, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, spoke to The Daily Signal on camera about the legacies of female conservative leaders and how conservative policies can empower women across the country. An edited… -
opinion
Problematic Women: Katy Perry’s #MeToo Incident
Katy Perry’s problematic #MeToo moment, Washington Post writer says Down syndrome babies don’t deserve to be born, and Republican Congresswoman Mia Love’s daughter explains why she “walked up” rather than “walked out” during the national high school protests this week. All that and more in this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” co-hosted with Bre Payton… -
opinion
Cambodia Is Losing Its Democracy. It’s Time for Tougher Sanctions.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party swept all 58 seats up for grabs in recent Senate elections. The electoral sweep was unsurprising, given that democracy in the country has been on a downward spiral since the July 2013 elections, and in even more precipitous decline since the arrest of the main opposition leader, Kem Sokha, last… -
news
With NewsGuard, 2 Longtime Journalists Enlist in War on Fake News
A pair of longtime journalists announced last week the launch of “NewsGuard,” an initiative intended to combat “fake news” online. Steve Brill and Gordon Crovitz say NewsGuard will be hiring dozens of trained journalists to review 7,500 news and information websites widely read in the United States. Its primary goal will be to provide reliability… -
opinion
8 Times Law-Abiding Citizens Saved Lives With an AR-15
“Why would any law-abiding citizen need an AR-15?” This question has been a favorite talking point of gun control activists in recent months, grating the ears of many lawful owners of the popular semi-automatic rifle. Never mind that rifles of any kind account for only a fraction of gun deaths every year, or that some… -
opinion
The Crisis of Our Young Men
Writing last week about the opioid crisis, I suggested that, as we consider policy options for dealing with the problem, we consider that at least some part of it may reflect a spiritual, moral crisis in the country. I noted that casualties from opioids show that they are disproportionately men, disproportionately divorced or never married,… -
opinion
7 Signs the Upcoming Farm Bill Will Contain Disastrous Subsidies
Perhaps as soon as next week, the House Agriculture Committee will release its farm bill, and it looks now as if the end result likely will be a system that funnels even more money to agricultural producers. Here are seven signs the taxpayer-funded “safety net” in the legislation is a disaster: 1. The bill would… -
news
We Went to the National School Walkout at the White House. Here’s What We Saw.
March 14 is National School Walkout Day, with students across the country protesting against gun violence in the wake of the Parkland tragedy. The Daily Signal went to the White House, where students sat with their backs turned in protest. Beginning at 10 a.m., they sat in silence for 17 minutes—one minute for each of… -
opinion
Podcast: The Surprising Democrat Win in Pennsylvania
Why did Democrat Conor Lamb win in a district that President Donald Trump won by 20 points in 2016? The Daily Signal’s Fred Lucas joins us to discuss the surprising outcome of a hotly contested election. Plus: Trump is pushing for a “Space Force” and Britain is taking action against Russia. -
opinion
In Nevada, Proof That Tax Cuts Work
Confidence among small business owners is at a record high, according to a recent CNBC survey. The good humor is due, in part, to the half of them who expect positive change to come from the new tax law in 2018. Positive change is already happening: Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp are two of many institutions raising… -
opinion
Huckabee Controversy Shows the Need for Toleration Amid Our Divisions
On March 2, Mike Huckabee was forced to leave his position on the board of the Country Music Association Foundation due to pressure from Little Big Town and Kacey Musgraves manager Jason Owen, who ridiculed Huckabee for his belief in traditional marriage and his support of gun rights. Despite the breaking news, my family and… -
opinion
Hillary’s Latest Comments Show Her Disrespect for Conservative Women
Let’s get a few facts clear first. I’m female. I’m single. I don’t have a son. And I never considered voting for Hillary Clinton. In a series of rude, condescending remarks Sunday, Clinton made it clear how little respect she had for those who voted for Donald Trump. Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2018…