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
WOTUS Decision Another Win for Americans
In another win for property owners, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked nationwide implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s and Army Corps of Engineers’ controversial “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule until the litigation over the rule’s legality can play out. Today’s decision expands on a federal court decision in North… -
opinion
Cartoon: Conservative Outfitters
Heritage Action for America's Mike Needham wrote earlier this week on the speaker race: When Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced he would resign as speaker, conventional wisdom in Washington dictated Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would be the next to wield the gavel. But for those outside Washington, the inevitability seemed tone-deaf and ultimately unrealistic. As… -
opinion
Government: We Must Destroy Payday Lenders Because Americans Are Stupid
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is finishing up new regulations that could ultimately shut down payday lenders, and there’s no indication they’ll change course. Some members of Congress have tried to stand up for the state-regulated version of the industry, but the tide is against them. Last year, an advocacy group launched an ad campaign during… -
opinion
Skeptical Climate Change Is Real? These 20 Academics Think You Should Be Prosecuted.
Are you skeptical of human-caused global warming or climate change like many respected scientists and climate experts? Then you should be prosecuted like a Mafia mob boss, according to 20 academics at ivory towers like Columbia, Rutgers, and the University of Washington. Apparently, these professors either don’t believe in the First Amendment or are profoundly ignorant… -
opinion
No, Alabama Closing Part-Time DMVs Is Not ‘New Jim Crow’
Many on the left are in a ferment over Alabama’s closure of some part-time Department of Motor Vehicles offices. It’s being done for budgetary reasons, but liberals are claiming it’s being done to raise a “barrier for poor and minority voters” in getting an ID to vote, according to the Washington Post. Former Secretary of… -
opinion
Why Silicon Valley Is Now Watching the Speaker Race
The tech industry, now one of the largest private-sector lobbying forces in Washington, D.C., hasn’t had much to say as Republicans scramble to find a new speaker for the House of Representatives. But this is changing, as one of the most tech-savvy members, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., is “considering” putting his hat in the ring…. -
news
Second National Day of #ProtestPP Being Held
#ProtestPP, a coalition of pro-life groups, is holding its second national protest of Planned Parenthood on Saturday. The protests will be held at numerous locations throughout the U.S. and three international locations in Canada, England, and Ireland. The protesters plan to cover as many of Planned Parenthood’s 700 health centers as possible. According to its… -
opinion
Nearly 1,000 People Move From Blue States to Red States Every Day. Here’s Why.
The so-called “progressives” love to talk about how their policies will create a worker’s paradise, but then why is it that day after day, month after month, year after year, people are fleeing liberal blue states for conservative red states? The new Census data on where we live and where we moved to in 2014… -
news
House Republicans Team Up With Democrats to Force Vote on Export-Import Bank Reauthorization
House Republicans joined forces with more than 100 of their Democratic colleagues today in supporting a measure to force a vote on reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. Bypassing the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Stephen Fincher, R-Tenn., along with fellow Republican Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Chris Collins of New York, filed a discharge petition… -
news
‘Building Up Skills’: How St. Coletta’s Shops Fill a Gap for Adults With Disabilities
It’s a warm Friday in September, and Devonte Barksdale is spending it inside, beading necklaces. “That’s what we gotta do,” he says. Barksdale, 23, is referring to his work as a craftsman for St. Coletta’s Shops, the adult employment program run by St. Coletta’s of Greater Washington, a nonprofit advocate and educator for those with… -
opinion
Rising Terrorist Threat in Bangladesh Needs US Attention
Assassinations of two international aid workers in Bangladesh over the last ten days have raised concern that global terrorists are taking advantage of political polarization in the country and linking up with local extremist groups to destabilize the South Asian democratic nation. On Sept. 28, an Italian aid worker was gunned down while jogging in… -
news
Houston Mayor, Former Baseball Star Spar Over Ordinance About Bathrooms, Gender
Former Astros baseball player Lance Berkman and the mayor of Houston are in a tussle over an ordinance that would allow people of any gender in bathrooms, as part of a non-discriminatory policy. In an advertisement for Campaign for Houston (a group that stands for “no men in women’s bathrooms”), Berkman encourages Houstonians to vote… -
opinion
Appeals Court Rules It’s Time for the NCAA to Pay Up
On Sept. 30, 2015, in O’Bannon v. NCAA, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued an opinion holding that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s rules barring compensation to student-athletes for use of their name, image, or likeness (NIL rules) violated federal antitrust laws. In so holding, the appeals court largely affirmed… -
news
Is a Short-Term Speaker the Answer? House Republicans Consider Possibility
House Republicans are scrambling after Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s shock announcement that he was withdrawing from the speaker’s race. Some have floated the idea of finding a candidate who could fill the leadership seat in a temporary caretaker role. Although the race has narrowed without the frontrunner, neither Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, nor Rep. Daniel… -
news
Former Planned Parenthood Patient Tells Congress It Should Be Defunded
A post-abortive woman testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Planned Parenthood Thursday that she regrets her abortions, and that she believes that the nation’s largest abortion provider should be defunded. Luana Stoltenberg told the committee her life “has been devastated by abortion.” A teenager when she had her first abortion, she was… -
opinion
McCarthy Was Forced to Drop Out Because Conservatives Are Fed Up With Establishment Leadership
What difference can around 40 votes make? In the case of who will be the next speaker of the House of Representatives, it turns out, quite a big one. When the House Freedom Caucus, which consists of around 40 House members, announced Wednesday that it would support Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., that meant the frontrunner,… -
opinion
States of Emergency
Last week I attended the National Emergency Management Association annual forum in Miami. As Hurricane Joaquin formed in the Atlantic, I had a unique opportunity to observe the 50 state emergency management directors’ plan for Joaquin’s potential landfall. One could easily identify the emergency managers from East Coast states. They were the ones standing in… -
news
Food Truck Owners Are Fighting San Antonio in Court Over Regulations
Steaming mad at an ordinance targeting their business, four food truck vendors are hauling the city of San Antonio into court. Facing $2,000-a-day fines for operating within 300 feet of a restaurant, the food truckers say the local restrictions are unconstitutional. “San Antonio should be encouraging small-business owners like us, not trying to hurt our… -
opinion
The Reality That Drove Kevin McCarthy’s Exit From the Speaker Race
When Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced he would resign as speaker, conventional wisdom in Washington dictated Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would be the next to wield the gavel. But for those outside Washington, the inevitability seemed tone-deaf and ultimately unrealistic. As it turns out, they were right. The people’s voice was heard loud and clear… -
news
Can the Government Competently Regulate Fantasy Football?
Daily fantasy sports players want to know which employees have access to user data after a DraftKings employee accidentally leaked vital information online on the same weekend he won $350,000 on rival site FanDuel. The burgeoning scandal for the booming daily fantasy sports industry has many players in this free market operation calling for—wait for…