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
Defeated Gambian President Must Honor His People’s Wishes, Relinquish Power
The tiny West African country of The Gambia rarely makes international news, but a brewing conflict over presidential election results has thrust it into the spotlight. In December 2016, Adama Barrow defeated The Gambia’s longtime dictator, Yahya Jammeh, in a presidential election. Jammeh once boasted he would rule for a billion years, so it was… -
opinion
Christian Comedy Film Set to Hit 900 Theaters This Weekend
On Jan. 20, two events are happening that are appreciated by many in flyover country, but cause confusion or disdain at best among the pop culture elite. One, of course, is the presidential inauguration. The other event, admittedly slightly less well-known, is the opening of the faith-based feature film I directed, “The Resurrection of Gavin… -
opinion
How Tom Price Will Restore the Doctor-Patient Relationship
On Wednesday, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., the nominee to be the next secretary of health and human services, went before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for his confirmation hearing. During almost four hours of intense questioning, including questions concerning his ownership of health-related stocks, Price’s cool and measured responses demonstrated an… -
opinion
Here’s How America’s First Outsider President Set a Precedent for Inaugurations
The Washington establishment was stunned. A political outsider with few connections in the nation’s capital, but wide national celebrity among the American people, was going to be the next president of the United States. Washington, D.C., residents were unprepared for the wild scene that was about to unfold when the new president’s advocates—and a few… -
news
Student Group Sues After Members Arrested for Handing Out Copies of Constitution
Student members of the Young Americans for Liberty chapter at Kellogg Community College are suing their school after they were arrested for passing out copies of the U.S. Constitution. The group says that on Sept. 20, 2016, KCC students Michelle Gregoire, Brandon Withers, and three others were in an open area in front of KCC’s… -
news
Trump’s Choice for EPA Chief Wants to Partner With, Not Punish, States
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency explained how he would make cooperating with the states a priority of the department during a Wednesday hearing on Capitol Hill. Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general, stressed “cooperative federalism” would be his guiding philosophy in running the EPA, meaning he wants the often controversial… -
opinion
Scott Pruitt Provides an Opportunity to Rein in a Rogue EPA
Protesters with megaphones are making a lot of noise over the confirmation of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. But Pruitt and others concerned about an agency that has grossly exceeded its statutory authority and threatened individual liberty are giving a bigger megaphone to voices all over the country that… -
opinion
EPA’s Top Priority Should Be to Eliminate Bogus Global Warming Models
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s confirmation hearing to head up the Environmental Protection Agency provided a glimpse into how the agency would operate under new leadership. Critical reforms should rein in regulations that have little scientific backing and environmental benefit. A top priority for the EPA and the new administration should be eliminating the use… -
news
Study Shows Americans Flock to States With Less Burdensome Taxes
Migration patterns for 2016 show that Americans tended to move away from high-tax states and into states where residents keep more of what they earn. United Van Lines, the nation’s largest moving company, recently released its annual movers study report showing that South Dakota overtook Oregon as the top inbound destination. Generally, more people moved… -
opinion
How the Law Could Punish You for Trying to Stay Warm
Warming up the car while enjoying a morning coffee is a time-honored tradition for millions of Americans every winter day. But Roseville, Michigan, resident Nick Taylor learned that it is also illegal in his home state. Taylor received a $128 ticket for leaving his car sitting in idle to warm up in his own driveway…. -
opinion
Anti-Business Policies Are the Real Reason Companies Leave
President-elect Donald Trump’s threats against American companies looking to relocate in foreign countries have won favorable review from many quarters. Support comes from those alarmed about trade deficits, those who want a “level playing field,” and those who call for “free trade but fair trade,” whatever that means. Some American companies relocate in foreign lands… -
opinion
CBO Report Is a Score of Partial Repeal, Not ‘Repeal and Replace’
The Congressional Budget Office has released a new report estimating the impact that last year’s reconciliation bill (H.R. 3762), which repealed a lot of Obamacare’s major provisions, would have on coverage and premiums. At first glance, the estimates are daunting—but when put into the context of reality, they have little meaning. Last year’s reconciliation bill… -
news
Where Physical Barriers Have Yet to Be Built Along Mexico Border
The U.S. government has built some form of physical barrier along roughly one-third of the 1,933-mile southern border with Mexico. The border state with the longest boundary—Texas, at about 1,241 miles—is covered by only 115 miles of barriers. Data obtained by The Daily Signal shows there is plenty of space for President-elect Donald Trump to… -
opinion
What Comes After Repeal? How to Fix American Health Care, Part 2
Thursday, I laid out the case for why Obamacare should be repealed, instead of propped up and tinkered on by additional top-down, boardroom thinking. It’s clear that whatever replaces Obamacare must focus on quality and incremental local solutions, not one-size-fits-all government mandates. In this respect, the federal government’s biggest task for replacing Obamacare is to… -
opinion
Use Term Limits to Drain the Swamp
Our first and perhaps greatest Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, ended his Gettysburg Address by calling on his fellow Americans to rededicate themselves to the “great task” of preserving our “government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people.” I share that commitment, which is why I have always supported term limits for our… -
news
Ben Carson’s Prescription: Get People Off Government Assistance
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Thursday to share his vision for the Department of Housing and Urban Development if the Senate confirms him as its next secretary. In early December, President-elect Donald Trump announced Carson, who was a rival contender for the White House,… -
news
Trump’s Entrepreneurial Approach Threatens the Washington Establishment, Says Newt Gingrich
President-elect Donald Trump is on a collision course with the Washington establishment, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday. A city that is accustomed to doing things a certain way contrasts sharply with Trump’s entrepreneurial approach, he observed. Gingrich spoke at The Heritage Foundation for the second of a six-part series on understanding Trump and… -
news
4 Big Concerns From Day 2 of Jeff Sessions’ Confirmation Hearings
The first day of confirmation hearings for Sen. Jeff Sessions was comparatively collegial compared to the more contentious speakers who testified Wednesday for and against President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next attorney general. Sessions didn’t testify during the second day of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings, but former staffers and law enforcement advocates… -
news
9 Issues Discussed at Rex Tillerson’s Confirmation Hearing to Be Trump’s Secretary of State
At his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state pick Rex Tillerson took harsh questioning from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about his business dealings in Russia during his career as CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp. In a moment where Russia is under fire for interfering in the U.S. election, and the…