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
New EPA Administrator Emphasizes Federalism, Rule of Law
“The future ain’t what it used to be at the EPA.” That was the message of Scott Pruitt, the newly confirmed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to conservatives gathered Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. “Process, rule of law, and cooperative federalism, that is going to be the heart of how… -
news
‘Lift Everyone Up,’ Carly Fiorina Says in Call for Unity
Carly Fiorina told conservatives Friday that it’s more valuable to bring people together after a polarizing election than to continue fighting. “It’s fun to have a fight and it’s really fun to have a fight when you win, but now that we’ve won, it’s important to bring people on,” the entrepreneur and former Republican presidential… -
opinion
We Hear You: How Can The Daily Signal’s Audience Make a Difference?
Editor's note: Here's another batch of correspondence from you, our audience. Thanks for your enthusiasm and support. You’ll find our address below. —Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Your team does their research; they take care to write short, clear, focused articles. This gives me the opportunity to be informed without having to track down all that information and… -
news
Group Defends Carbon Dioxide as ‘Elixir of Life’ in Climate Change Debate
Forget everything government officials, many media outlets, and “activist scientists” have warned about the damaging effects of carbon dioxide, because in reality there’s no cause for alarm, a group called the CO2 Coalition urges. Scientists, engineers, and policy analysts who are part of the nonprofit organization turned out in force Friday at the Conservative Political… -
opinion
This Bill Would Drag the Federal Government Into Disputes Over Pets
Congress has written some laudable policies into the Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017 (H.R.909) that are designed to protect domestic violence victims from “trauma caused by acts of violence or threats of violence against their pets.” There is one provision of the bill, however, that takes a familiar step too far: It would… -
news
NRA CEO Goes After Protesters: ‘We’ll Fight the Violent Left’
The CEO of the National Rifle Association gave a stern warning to terrorists, violent protesters, and the “leftist media” in a speech Friday. “We’ll fight the violent left,” said Wayne LaPierre, who spoke at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. “If you’re a member of the leftist media, or a soldier for the… -
news
GOP Tax Leader Rallies Conservative Support for Levy on Imports
Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, sought to convince conservative activists on Friday to rally behind a plan from House Republican leaders to tax imports instead of exports. Brady, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, argues along with House Republican leadership that the “border adjustment tax” must be included as a component of tax reform to… -
opinion
Coast Guard Seized Record Amount of Drugs in 2016. Here’s How It Can Do Even More.
The year 2016 was a record-breaking year for the U.S. Coast Guard’s fight against drug trafficking. By the end of October, the Coast Guard had seized over 416,600 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $5.6 billion, the largest one-year amount in the service’s history. This total was accumulated over 263 individual interdictions primarily in the Caribbean,… -
opinion
AARP Mischaracterizes a Good Reform Proposal as an ‘Age Tax’
The AARP, the nation’s largest association of retired persons, is criticizing a proposal to more closely align premiums with actual health care costs, calling it an “age tax” that will supposedly “line the pockets of big insurance companies.” In reality, the proposed change would simply undo a misguided provision of Obamacare that forced insurers to… -
news
The Daily Signal Asks College Students: What Are You Entitled To?
At the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, America’s largest annual conservative event, The Daily Signal asks college students what they feel entitled to. Watch the video to hear them respond. -
news
Scott Walker Points to Wisconsin Model for Why Republicans Should Follow Through on Promises
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker asked his fellow conservatives to follow through on the promises made to Americans, and used his state as evidence that this can be both successful and popular. “Do what you said you were going to do; to go big, to go bold, and to actually follow through on the promises you… -
news
Climate Change ‘Lunacy’ Called a Gift to Conservatives
For conservatives, the “lunacy,” “wrongness,” and “criminality” of climate change theories is the gift that keeps on giving, the executive editor of the London branch of Breitbart News Network said Thursday during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Three major strands characterize the climate change movement, James Delingpole said during the CPAC panel,… -
news
Jim DeMint Urges Conservatives to ‘Make Possible What the Establishment Says Is Impossible’
“We must think big, we must act bold. That’s the American way.” That was the message Jim DeMint, president of The Heritage Foundation and former South Carolina senator, shared Thursday morning with thousands of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. DeMint covered a wide array of issues, including the importance of fulfilling campaign… -
news
Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus Tout Trump’s Commitment to Keeping Promises
Two men forming something of a White House odd couple—Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus—touted President Donald Trump’s commitment to keeping his campaign promises in a joint appearance Thursday before conservative activists. “They are a corporatist, globalist media that are violently opposed to the economic nationalist agenda of Donald Trump,” @SteveKBannon says Priebus, the White House… -
opinion
Why Trump’s Call to Investigate Vote Fraud Is Valid
President Donald Trump recently called for an investigation into vote fraud. His press secretary Sean Spicer added: “This isn’t just about the 2016 election. This is about the integrity of our voting system.” And there is a problem: Liberal activists have all too often rejected and fought against bipartisan efforts to fix these critical problems…. -
news
Betsy DeVos Confronts Transgender Controversy at CPAC
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos didn’t dance around the obvious in her speech Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. First, DeVos addressed actions taken Wednesday night by the Education Department and Justice Department to rescind the Obama administration’s controversial transgender guidance to schools. That directive had required schools to allow students who identify… -
news
Kellyanne Conway Encourages Conservative Women to Be Outspoken
White House official Kellyanne Conway delivered a message to young women to be outspoken and also heralded President Donald Trump’s energy. “He replaced this fiction of electability with this revelation of electricity,” @KellyannePolls says. The Trump campaign manager, who now serves as counselor to the president, even told the gathering at the Conservative Political Action… -
opinion
The Secret Service Needs an Overhaul to Keep the President Safe
The Secret Service currently polls as the worst place to work in the federal government, as mistakes and disciplinary issues have become bigger and more public. It’s been clear that changes needed to be made. Last week Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy announced his decision to resign from the agency. Clancy was appointed in… -
news
Watch How One Congressman Handles a Rowdy Town Hall Meeting
Rep. Dave Brat shocked the political establishment in 2014 when he defeated then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the GOP primary for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. On Tuesday, Brat was back in the spotlight at a town hall meeting in rural Blackstone, Virginia. During the lively and occasionally boisterous meeting, Brat was peppered with questions from…