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
This North Carolina Conservative Is the Freedom Caucus’ New Leader
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., was elected the next chairman of the House Freedom Caucus on Monday. He has big plans for what he’ll accomplish in the role. “From day one since our founding almost two years ago, the mission of the Freedom Caucus has been to give a voice to the countless Americans who feel… -
opinion
The Trump Administration Should Crack Down on Silly Rules That Carry Criminal Penalties
President-elect Donald Trump’s “Contract with the American Voter” pledges that “for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated.” This should be celebrated by the majority of Americans who think the federal government does too much. At the outset of this regulatory unwinding, one potential priority stands out above the others. The Trump… -
news
Lame Duck Will See Fight to Put Export-Import Bank Back on Its Feet
Business groups and the White House are urging Congress to use a must-pass spending bill to make the Export-Import Bank fully operational again, setting up a showdown with conservatives who oppose the agency’s existence. Over the past year, the Export-Import Bank, or Ex-Im, has been unable to approve transactions of more than $10 million because… -
opinion
Ohio State Attack Sheds Light on Somali Community’s Struggle With Terrorism
There is still much we do not know about Abdul Razak Ali Artan, the young man who injured 11 people in a car-and-knife attack at Ohio State University on Monday. Before drawing any final conclusions, we should wait for all the facts to emerge. What we do know is that Artan was a Somali immigrant, and… -
opinion
The Liberal Media’s Anti-Christian Witch Hunt of Chip and Joanna Gaines
Bullying Christians may be a favorite strategy of the left—but it’s not necessarily an effective one. Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s popular show “Fixer Upper” may be sending that message without ever opening their mouths. In what can only be described as a politically motivated witch hunt, BuzzFeed posted a non-story about how the fan… -
opinion
Widespread Coverage of Liberal Hate Crimes ‘Study’ Shows Media’s Fake News Problem
So much for taking America’s “fake news” problem seriously. Ever since Donald Trump was elected president, there’s been an abundance of hand-wringing over the “fake news” that supposedly is rampant on social media. Yet missing has been any kind of serious searching among the mainstream media about whether it could learn any lessons from this… -
opinion
Climate Data Deniers Are Trying to ‘Bork’ Trump’s EPA Transition Leader
President-elect Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition leader, Myron Ebell, is a huge threat to the green gravy train. Now, with billions of crony dollars at stake, the green slander machine is doing all it can to slime him. Following their standard tactic, advocates of big government cronyism have picked someone to demonize as the… -
opinion
Alzheimer’s Bill Is Government Overreach at Its Worst
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to consider a measure that would once again extend the reach of the federal government into areas best left to states, localities, and families. The bill in question, H.R. 4919, sounds innocuous enough—who could object to efforts to find lost citizens suffering from Alzheimer’s and autism? But when… -
news
Michigan Recount Could Cost Taxpayers $4 Million
Green Party candidate Jill Stein filed a request for recount Wednesday in the state of Michigan, following through on her promise to pursue recounts in three states that delivered the election to President-elect Donald Trump. Stein requested a hand recount of the state’s presidential election ballots, a process that will take a tremendous amount of resources… -
opinion
Attack at Ohio State Brings US Terror Plots, Attacks to 93 Since 9/11
This week, terror struck American soil once again—this time on a university campus. On the morning of Nov. 28, Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove a car into a crowd of pedestrians on the campus of Ohio State University. He then got out of the car and began attacking those around him with a knife. A… -
news
The Dakota Pipeline Protests, Explained
Cody Schulz, chairman of the Morton County Commission in North Dakota, is keeping especially close track of a conflict over an oil pipeline that would run through his community. By his count, Wednesday was the 113th day of protests over the Dakota Access pipeline, which has become a complex battle—sometimes involving violent clashes between police… -
opinion
Federal Agents Threaten Pet Owners With a War on Cats
An overzealous federal agency is targeting Florida cats in a pest removal operation and it’s becoming a huge problem for pet owners. Throughout the ages, cats have held a high place in society. Scholars commonly hold that felines were first domesticated in Egypt 4,000 years ago due to their ability to police dirty, disease-carrying rodents… -
opinion
Some Elites Think We Should Get Rid of States. Here’s Why They’re Wrong.
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College—and it’s driving progressives nuts. The renewed calls to abandon the “antiquated” and “undemocratic” Electoral College were to be expected. But in a column for The Washington Post’s “In Theory” blog, author Lawrence R. Samuel goes even further, suggesting we get rid of states altogether…. -
opinion
How to Speak the Truth About Castro’s Bloody Legacy
Ding dong! The witch is dead! Or at least that’s how the families of the 78,000 murdered victims of Fidel Castro, those who fled his dictatorship, and those who love freedom responded when the news of the dictator’s death was reported on Sunday. Castro was a tyrant who imposed communism on Cuba for over 60… -
opinion
Chip and Joanna Gaines Under Fire for Maybe Having the ‘Wrong’ Views on LGBT Issues
Like many Americans, HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines attend a church where the pastor thinks homosexual behavior is a sin. And somehow that’s “news.” BuzzFeed printed the original story, headlined “Chip And Joanna Gaines’ Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage.” From there it was picked up by Cosmopolitan, Us Weekly, and my favorite, Jezebel…. -
news
Web Hosting Company Shuts Down Conservative Site Boycotting Target Stores
The conservative group 2ndVote has called for a boycott on Christmas shopping at the retail giant Target over its bathroom policies. But on Nov. 23, Leadpages, the company hosting the #AnywhereButTARGET boycott campaign’s website, sent 2ndVote an email requesting the page be taken down. In his email to 2ndVote, Leadpages’ director of operations, Doug Storbeck,… -
news
Grave Digging in Iceland, Tofu in Convenience Stores: Your Tax Dollars at Work
The national debt is expected to hit $20 trillion early next year. Sen. James Lankford has a few ideas to start chipping away at it. The Oklahoma Republican unveiled his second government waste and solutions report during a press conference Monday on Capitol Hill and Heritage Foundation event Tuesday. Lankford’s new report, “Federal Fumbles: 100… -
opinion
How Abolishing the Electoral College Would Destroy the Power of the States
Nearly a month after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in this year’s presidential election, progressive groups and activists are attempting to undermine the result along with fundamental institutions created by the Founding Fathers. Clinton appears to have won the national popular vote in 2016, primarily fueled by massive landslides in populous Democratic states like California… -
opinion
The Continuing Relevance of the Constitution
Public policy is often exciting and urgent. When a war begins or ends, when votes are counted in an election, or when a major bill is passed, everyone senses the magnitude of the event. Some struggles end and new struggles begin. Consequences carry far into the future. Compared to this, and especially given the way… -
opinion
Elections Bring New Opportunities to Consider Pitfalls of Overcriminalization
As politicians, lawyers, and policy wonks prepare for transition at both the federal and state levels, new administrations are already setting their agendas for their upcoming terms. One problem that leaders on both sides of the aisle would be well-served to address is overcriminalization. Overcriminalization is the misuse of criminal law to punish seemingly every…