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
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… -
opinion
Fair Pay Act Will Hurt Women in California
California’s attempt to reduce the so-called pay gap through its recently passed Fair Pay Act will hurt women. Women should be paid the same amount as men when they perform the exact same job. No one disputes that. Equal pay for equal work has been the law in California for 66 years. But now, under… -
news
After McCarthy Drops Out, House Freedom Caucus Stands by Daniel Webster for Speaker
The House Freedom Caucus is standing by its man. After Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, once the leading man to become speaker of the House, abruptly dropped out of the race Thursday, the 40 or so conservative members of the Freedom Caucus said they will continue to endorse Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida to ascend to… -
news
Kevin McCarthy Explains Why He Quit House Speaker Race
Shortly after telling his Republican colleagues he was dropping his bid to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., explained his decision. >>> READ MORE: Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of House Speaker Race -
news
Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of House Speaker Race: ‘It’s Best We Have a New Face’
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has ended his bid to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives. McCarthy, the current House majority leader, was the leading candidate among three Republicans seeking the top job of speaker. However, he lacked the 218 votes needed to win a vote on the House floor after the conservative House… -
opinion
Why We Should Have a Debate on Birthright Citizenship
The recent national debate about the impact of illegal immigration on America is needed and welcomed. Each year, 10 percent of all births or almost 400,000 children born are to those who are unlawfully in the United States. Given the more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the country today, this number is likely to… -
news
New York Gov. Cuomo Rejects New Evidence, Continues to Forbid Fracking
For officials in the economically depressed region of New York state known as the Southern Tier, two recent hydraulic fracturing studies gave them the slightest glimmer of hope that the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo would reverse the state’s ban on hydraulic fracturing. But in a brief email to Watchdog.org, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation shut the door on… -
news
The Question Sierra Club’s President Didn’t Want to Answer
Sen. Ted Cruz’s questioning of Sierra Club President Aaron Mair turned contentious Tuesday, then went viral when the Texas Republican posted the nearly 10-minute exchange. Cruz repeatedly pressed Mair to address satellite data that found an 18-year pause in global warming, countering the Sierra Club’s claim of a warming trend. He asked the green group… -
news
Late-Night Removal of 10 Commandments Monument in Oklahoma Reignites Controversy
The monument of the Ten Commandments that previously stood on the Oklahoma state capitol grounds was removed late Monday night. According to the Associated Press, the state paid a contractor $4,700 to remove the monument following the 7-2 decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court on June 30 that found the monument in violation of the… -
news
Liberal Comedian: I Want to ‘Make the Battle Against Planned Parenthood Funny’
Liberal comedian Kathy Griffin has decided to make the fight to defund Planned Parenthood funny. “I’m going to figure out a way to make the battle against Planned Parenthood funny,” Griffin stated to BroadwayWorld.com. “I don’t know how, but I learned that the way to communicate with people is always humor first.” At Carnegie Hall… -
news
Former Employee: Planned Parenthood ‘More Concerned About Its Bottom Line’ Than Women’s Health
Sue Thayer, a former facility director for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, will testify against her former employer before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. In prepared remarks, Thayer alleges that the nation’s largest abortion provider “is more concerned about its bottom line than it is about the health and safety of women.” “No business,… -
news
What 6 House Conservatives Want From Their New Speaker
The race for a new House speaker to replace John Boehner, who is stepping down from Congress effective Oct. 30, is far from over. On Wednesday, at the monthly Capitol Hill gathering Conversations with Conservatives, six lawmakers gave their take on the leadership fight and shared what they want from their new speaker. -
news
How This Small Business Owner Thinks New Government Ruling on Franchises Could Hurt Her Company
Even when she was still young, Ciara Stockeland knew she wanted to open her own business. The granddaughter and daughter of entrepreneurs, Stockeland became a third-generation small business owner when she founded and successfully franchised Mode, a female fashion boutique. Now Stockeland’s afraid she could lose it all. On Tuesday, testifying before the Senate Committee… -
news
In Blow to Kevin McCarthy, Powerful Conservative Group Endorses Daniel Webster for Speaker
The conservative House Freedom Caucus threw a wrench into the race for House speaker late Wednesday when members vowed to unite as a powerful voting bloc to endorse long-shot Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida. The Freedom Caucus, credited with helping push out Speaker John Boehner, has 40 or so members and effectively has veto power in the… -
news
‘It’s OK to Feel the Despair’: Ann Romney’s New Memoir Is Raw Look at Her MS Experience
“If she can do it, I can do it.” To 27-year-old Grafton Pritchartt, Ann Romney is an inspiration. Like Romney, Pritchartt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a relatively unexplained neurological condition in which the immune system attacks healthy nerve-cell coverings. She got the news last November, when she was 26. Her form of the disease, like Romney’s,… -
opinion
California Democrat Governor’s Conservative Move
Enough is enough when it comes to overcriminalization. That is the message expressed in California Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent letter to the California legislature. In it, he refused to sign nine bills that “multiply and particularize” existing crimes. More than that, he rebuked the practice of overcriminalization. His directive to the legislature was simple: no… -
opinion
Secret Service Failures Continue as It Leaks Embarrassing Information on Congressional Critic
Despite the recent approval and congratulatory statements made to the Secret Service regarding their good work during the visit of Pope Francis last month, the agency is once again under scrutiny, this time for trying to undermine its congressional critics. Representative Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, has been an outspoken critic of the Secret Service within Congress, especially… -
news
Conservatives Insist Kevin McCarthy Not Certain to Become Speaker
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the front-runner for House speaker, is working to lock up support from colleagues before Republican lawmakers vote tomorrow, but a group of conservatives hints that the race for the top spot is far from over. At the monthly Capitol Hill gathering Conversations with Conservatives, lawmakers expressed skepticism over whether McCarthy, currently the House's… -
news
McCain on Iran Deal: ‘All the Other Nations in the Region Are Going to Go Nuclear’
Sen. John McCain says the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran is so bad that it could turn the Middle East into a nuclear cauldron. “What I see is an escalation to the point where all the other nations in the region are going to go nuclear and it will be a tinderbox,” McCain tells… -
news
Judge Permits Center for Medical Progress to Provide Congress With Unedited Videos Despite Restraining Order
A federal judge has ruled that the Center for Medical Progress may comply with a congressional subpoena to provide lawmakers with its unedited footage despite a temporary restraining order granted to the National Abortion Federation barring the group from releasing the footage. In a decision issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled that “Congress has the power…