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
‘Gladiator II’ Rips the Heart Out of the Russell Crowe Classic
Are you not entertained? But is that really why you are here? The genius of the 2000 movie “Gladiator” wasn’t just the music, the acting of Russell Crowe, or the ancient Roman setting. The movie had all of these things in spades, and to call it entertaining would be a gross understatement. The beating heart…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
The Dumbest Fallacy in Foreign Policy
Last week, after 50 years of tyranny and repression, the government of Bashar Assad fell in Syria. It fell thanks to a combination of three forces. First, Israel’s military utterly eviscerated Assad’s foreign military support base, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. Second, Ukraine has bled dry the Russian military coffers over the course of the last…Ben Shapiro -
- News
Tom Homan Tells Tucker Carlson He ‘Used to Respect’ Mayorkas
During the Obama administration, Alejandro Mayorkas and Tom Homan had a positive working relationship. Not so much now. Mayorkas, then director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Homan, then associate director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, largely appeared to agree on immigration policy, as Homan recalls. “I used to respect him,” Homan,…Virginia Allen -
- News
IRS Whistleblowers Push Forward on Defamation Case Against Hunter Biden’s Lawyer
The drama and legal saga adjacent to Hunter Biden’s conduct isn’t over yet. Lawyers for the two IRS whistleblowers in his tax evasion case contend it would be bad news for future whistleblowers if their defamation case against the prominent lawyer for President Joe Biden’s son is dismissed. In what was likely a reference to…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Public Support Shifts From Defund Police to Pro-Police Policies Nationwide
If there was any doubt left, last month’s elections sealed the deal. The nationwide experiment labeled “Defund the Police” was an abject failure. Our citizens made it clear that they are sick and tired of politicians who prefer coddling criminals to supporting our police. Sadly, though, it will take years to recover from the disastrous…Craig Floyd -
- Opinion
No, Republicans, the Sky Won’t Fall If There’s a Government Shutdown
Hey, Republicans. The sky will not fall if there’s a government shutdown. The government was shut down six times during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Over 20 times since 1974. Yet, recent presidents have avoided it like the plague. The nation survived, Reagan won massive landslides, and, in the end, the public didn’t give a damn despite…Mark Levin -
- News
Musk, Ramaswamy Floated as Next House Speakers
Amid the uproar over the spending bill, some are suggesting it’s time for a new House speaker. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, suggested on X that Republicans should replace Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, who will head President-Elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., floated Musk…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
Nancy Pelosi Profited as Luxury Napa Resort Won COVID-19 Bailout
The Auberge du Soleil, a five-star hillside hotel and spa with a panoramic view overlooking the vineyards of Napa Valley, appears to be first-rate in all ways but one. While the glamorous resort, an hour’s drive from San Francisco, fills rooms that routinely go for $2,000 a night with A-list celebrities and tech titans, financial records…Leighton Woodhouse -
- Opinion
Musk Mobilizes the Masses
Elon Musk isn’t messing around, and he just got a massive scalp to prove it. The billionaire owner of X started his day by posting a photo of the 1,500-page spending bill in Congress with this question: “Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” Scores of Musk posts and reposts followed Wednesday, sending members of…Robert B. Bluey -
- News
Swiss Billionaire’s Dark Money Efforts to Influence US Politics Exposed in Congressional Hearing
U.S. elections are “under attack” from foreign influence by both individuals and hostile state actors, experts told a House panel on Wednesday. Although foreign individuals and entities already are prohibited from contributing to American elections, foreign actors find a way, House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., says. “Foreign adversaries still have loopholes they can exploit…Fred Lucas -
- News
Public Trust in Health Agencies Gone, Former CDC Director Says
Americans don’t trust public health institutions, the virologist who used to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. “We have lost public trust, there’s no doubt about it, and it really harms public health in a big way,” Robert Redfield said Wednesday during an event at The Heritage Foundation, adding, “We’ve lost, I think,…Virginia Allen -
- News
Ohio’s Solicitor General Credits Heritage Internship for His Conservative Principles
Ohio’s lead government attorney for appeals cases is this year’s recipient of The Heritage Foundation’s Distinguished Intern Alumni Award. T. Elliot Gaiser, tapped late last year as the 11th solicitor general of Ohio, interned 10 years earlier at Heritage. Derrick Morgan, Heritage’s executive vice president, presented Gaiser with the award Dec. 9 at the…Audrey Streb -
- News
‘Breath of Fresh Air’: Washington Post Admits More Data Needed on ‘Gender Transitioning’ Minors
In a significant shift away from reflexive support for minors undergoing “gender transition” procedures, The Washington Post editorial board published an op-ed on Sunday that called for more robust scientific research to be conducted to determine the health outcomes of puberty blockers and hormones on children. The Post, considered among the most preeminent outlets of the legacy…Dan Hart -
- Opinion
Fighting Communism After The Cold War
Communism didn’t win the Cold War, but it’s doing surprisingly well in the 21st century, including in America. Elsewhere, especially in East Asia, Communism is the tyrannical creed of a ruling class that stays in power by jailing its opponents—or rolling tanks over them. Here, especially on college campuses, Communism is a status marker and…Daniel McCarthy -
- Opinion
Remembering a Great Man and Important Conservative Leader
And the King said unto his servants, “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel.” (II Samuels 3:38) This is the feeling about my oldest friend, Dr. Lee Edwards, who went to his heavenly reward Dec. 12, 2024. A prince and a great man. In the…Richard Viguerie -
- Opinion
Freeing People From the Left Starts With the US Census
Any day now, President-elect Donald Trump will nominate a new director of the U.S. Census Bureau, replacing President Joe Biden’s man, Robert L. Santos. Whoever Trump’s nominee will be needs to grasp how vital the job is for the long-term unity of the United States and for the need to free people from the Left’s balkanizing mission….Mike Gonzalez -
- News
Congresswoman Sounds Alarm on Fundraising Platform Under Scrutiny for Raking in Millions With Thousands of Tiny Donations
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—How did fewer than two dozen people give almost $1 million through controversial Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue with political donations as small as $5? Federal Election Commission records show that in recent elections, some elderly Americans made thousands of small donations to Democrat fundraising political committees through ActBlue—which currently is under…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
Time for Justice for Pro-Life Prisoners and the DC 5
Can you imagine being thrown in jail for peacefully protesting the deaths of babies in the womb? Well, you don’t have to, because it has happened. Today, the Left’s weaponization of a federal law called the FACE Act has led to exactly that, unjustly persecuting pro-life advocates who are its ideological opponents. But finally, after…Jamie Dangers -
- News
Building the Iron Dome
This is an excerpt from Victoria Coates’ new book, “The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win.” President Ronald Reagan’s rationale for launching SDI [the Strategic Defense Initiative] in his 1983 speech could have been written by any Israeli Prime Minister: “I’ve become more and more deeply convinced that the human spirit must…Victoria Coates -
- News
HOSTAGE: Siblings Recount Day Their Sisters Were Taken
The free world is in a fight against terrorism, according to Yarden Gonen, the big sister of Romi Gonen who has been held hostage in Gaza for over 14 months. If action is not taken soon to release her sister and all the hostages still in Gaza, “maybe they won't stay alive, and then…Virginia Allen