Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
opinion
New York Bombing May Be Another Terrorist Attack Inspired by al-Qaeda’s Anwar al-Awlaki
New York City and New Jersey dodged a bullet on Saturday. The terrorist bombings allegedly perpetrated by Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan, could have been much worse. Several of the bombs that he reportedly planted failed to explode, giving investigators important leads that enabled Rahami’s quick arrest…. -
news
Inspired Attacks Show Strength of Islamic State, Experts Say
After the terrorist attacks this weekend, President Barack Obama acknowledged a link between the central Islamic State and lone bad actors, even as the administration has frequently drawn a distinction in the past. National security experts believe terror attacks “inspired” by the radical groups are just as dangerous—potentially more so—than if ISIS draws up the… -
news
Amid Fetal Tissue Investigation, Republicans Seek Legal Action Against StemExpress
Republicans on a special House panel are recommending that StemExpress and its CEO be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over accounting records. The company came under scrutiny after last year’s undercover videos of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s top abortion provider. Republicans on the panel, which is investigating the market for tissue… -
opinion
Opponents of CHOICE Act Aren’t Interested in Protecting Consumers
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the House Financial Services Committee passed the Financial CHOICE Act. Among other needed financial reforms, the bill would make taxpayer-funded bailouts of big banks less likely and ease regulations that hurt community banks. It’s hardly a surprise that the vote (30–26) was largely along party lines, but some of the anti-CHOICE… -
opinion
Regulations in Benin, West Africa, Stunt Business Growth for Entrepreneurs Like Glwadys Tawema
The Heritage Foundation has taken its message of economic freedom on the road.One stop was Cotonou, the capital of Benin—a small country of about 9 million next door to Nigeria in West Africa. It was there that we met Glwadys Tawema, a young entrepreneur who is struggling to keep her small business profitable in spite of costly,… -
opinion
Myth vs. Fact on the Miners Protection Act
The Senate Finance Committee will mark up S.1714—the Miners Protection Act—on Wednesday, Sept. 21. This myth vs. fact analysis sets straight some common misinformation about the proposal. S.1714 would extend an existing bailout of some of the United Mine Workers of America’s unfunded health benefits to cover a larger group of UMWA members (those who… -
news
White House: US Is in a ‘Narrative Fight’ With ISIS
The U.S. is in a fight with the Islamic State, but according to the White House it is a fight of words, not arms. “When it comes to ISIL, we are in a fight—a narrative fight with them. A narrative battle,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest while appearing on CNN Monday, the day after… -
opinion
House Leadership Should Allow a Vote Against Cronyism
Will House leadership snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory? They have so far, by not holding a vote on legislation that would effectively eliminate the poster child for cronyism: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s catfish inspection program. There’s not much agreement in Washington, D.C., on many issues, but there’s widespread agreement about this… -
opinion
We Shouldn’t Give Away the Internet to Authoritarian Regimes
The essence of human freedom, of civilization itself, is cooperation: cooperation between friends and family; businesses and customers; entrepreneurs and employees. History and human experience teach that humans cooperate best when they do so voluntarily, without government coercion. That is why I fully support the eventual transition of control over the internet from the Department… -
opinion
Weekend Attacks Across US Show Need for Renewed Vigilance
A series of bombings in New Jersey and New York City, along with a mass stabbing at a mall outside Minneapolis, have many Americans rightly concerned today. While these attacks appear unrelated, very little is known at the moment about the perpetrators and their motives. The FBI and local law enforcement are pursuing leads across… -
opinion
Boeing Deal With Terrorist Iran Shadows Hill Fight on Export-Import Bank
Let’s put two and two together, shall we? For more than a year now, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has been limited to financing export deals of less than $10 million—a real hardship, evidently, for Ex-Im President Fred P. Hochberg and his buds who much prefer subsidies in the high nine digits for multinational corporations and… -
news
The Woman Behind the Group the Left Loves to Hate
It was 9 o’clock at night when Bill Meierling, a top official at the American Legislative Exchange Council, received the word from NPR’s “The Diane Rehm Show.” ALEC’s newly appointed CEO, Lisa Nelson, was scheduled to appear the next morning on Rehm’s long-running, Washington-based radio show. But ALEC’s critics on the left had posted their… -
news
California Could Let Felons Behind Bars Vote, Despite What the State Constitution Says
California Gov. Jerry Brown is considering whether to sign a bill that would allow tens of thousands of incarcerated felons to vote, while continuing to deny the vote to others. The Legislature sent a bill to Brown’s desk that would restore voting rights to an estimated 50,000 convicted felons who are behind bars in county jails, but not… -
opinion
Manchin’s Fictional Take on Pension History
In a Sept. 14 speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., called on his colleagues to honor a historical promise that simply doesn’t exist. In his effort to conjure up support for a taxpayer-financed bailout of a particular union-run pension plan—the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)—Manchin urged lawmakers to pass legislation that… -
news
Zika Funding Might Result in Raise for Planned Parenthood, Despite GOP-Controlled Congress
Fears are mounting among some conservatives that under a Republican-controlled Congress, Planned Parenthood could soon be getting a raise. “I hope that pro-lifers will wake up and realize that we have major issues when it comes to the U.S. Senate, when we have our ‘friends’ put us in very tough positions,” Tom McClusky, vice president… -
news
Why Freedom Caucus Cut Deal With GOP Leadership Canceling Vote to Impeach IRS Chief
Late Wednesday night, the House Freedom Caucus was just hours away from forcing a historic vote on impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. Instead, the conservative lawmakers brokered a deal with the House’s Republican leadership to postpone a vote and hold a hearing. Before the agreement, the pack of rabble-rousers warned their GOP colleagues that they… -
news
Conservatives Protest Possible Export-Import Bank Provision in Government Funding Bill
Conservative lawmakers and groups who oppose the Export-Import Bank are squaring off against their Republican and Democratic counterparts who want to use a must-pass funding bill to restore the Export-Import Bank to its full operations. For more than a year, the controversial agency has not been able to approve transactions of more than $10 million… -
opinion
No, the Constitution Isn’t Outdated
This Constitution Day, we celebrate the 229th year since our Constitution’s signing. For many Americans, the durability of our founding document is a point of pride, an indication of its high quality, and a worthy reason to revere it. Time tests quality, and the fact that our Founders’ creation has outlasted so many other regimes… -
opinion
The Simple Saving Measure Congress Overlooks: Factoring in Interest Costs
Before committing to legislation that will increase deficits, Congress should evaluate interest costs to see how much a proposal will truly cost over time. Interest costs are an important factor to consider before spending more than one takes in. Families and individuals factor in interest costs when evaluating how much a loan will cost them… -
opinion
The Shocking State of Americans’ Civic Illiteracy
This year’s Constitution Day marks 229 years since the signing of the U.S. Constitution and the establishment of our republic. The Framers of our Constitution recognized that a general understanding of the nation’s laws, history, and government was central to the longevity of the republic. The United States is, as Benjamin Franklin described, “a republic,…