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
Congressman Gets Emotional After Wolf Blitzer Defends Planned Parenthood
Rep. Jason Chaffetz was in no mood Wednesday to be lectured by CNN's Wolf Blitzer about Planned Parenthood. The Utah Republican, who lost both of his parents to cancer, didn't take kindly to Blitzer's defense of America's largest abortion provider. Chaffetz was questioning why taxpayers provide $528 million to Planned Parenthood in federal funding when Blitzer interrupted him. "I… -
opinion
Watch Conservative Activist Tell Shouting Dr. Drew Planned Parenthood’s History of Covering Up Child Sex Abuse
Appearing on HLN’s “Dr. Drew On Call,” Alison Howard discussed Planned Parenthood’s history on child sex abuse with a skeptical Dr. Drew. “I’m talking about the young girls [who] were taken to Planned Parenthood by their perpetrators, and who wished Planned Parenthood shouted about their abuse, but, instead, as we’ve seen in recent reports, covered… -
news
Kim Davis Willing to Go Back to Jail for Religious Beliefs
Kim Davis, the Kentucky County clerk who wouldn’t issue marriage licenses to gay couples because of her deep Christian convictions, says she’s not going anywhere. “If I resign, I lose my voice, and there are accommodations that can be made very easily,” Davis tells The Daily Signal. “It wasn’t like I was asking them to… -
opinion
Why the ‘Happy Birthday’ Song’s Copyright Has Finally Been Ruled Invalid
On Sept. 22, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge George H. King ruled that the copyright to the lyrics of the popular song “Happy Birthday to You” is no longer valid. The successful motion for summary judgment (a procedure for allowing a judge to rule without a trial) brings an end to a lucrative $2-million annual… -
news
How a Police Chief Responded When Atheist Group Called for Removal of ‘In God We Trust’ Police Car Decals
The phrase “In God We Trust” has sparked a debate over First Amendment rights in Texas, where an atheist group demanded that local authorities remove decals of the motto from patrol vehicles. Texas news outlet KCBD reported that the Childress Police Department first received the demand in a letter written by the Freedom From Religion Foundation…. -
opinion
Education Department’s Sex Assault ‘Agreement’ With UVA Shows Need for Campus Reform
The U.S. Department of Education has issued a press release crowing about its “agreement” with the University of Virginia, “ensur[ing] that the university’s handling of sexual violence and sexual harassment complies with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.” You might remember that the University of Virginia was falsely accused of… -
news
10 Things Conservatives Want From New Congressional Leadership
A group of conservative leaders have signed a letter to show their vision for new congressional leadership. The letters states disappointment in past leadership of Congress. “[Republicans] have failed to use their powers to stop the big-government, big-business agenda dominating Washington backrooms,” states the letter, which was expected to be released Thursday. After the announcement that… -
news
What’s After Failure? Former NFL Quarterback Jeff Kemp Talks Faith, Family, and Comebacks
“I got my big chance to be a starting quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks, and in one half of play against the 49ers, my old team, I stunk it up,” says Jeff Kemp, unfazed by the callused heartache he now accepts as mere fact. “I got booed, we got booed, and I got benched. I… -
news
How Congress Elects a New Speaker
How Congress Elects a New SpeakerDo you know how Congress elects a new speaker? Posted by The Daily Signal on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 House Speaker John Boehner announced today that elections for the next speaker of the House will take place Oct. 8. Boehner told Republicans last week he would be resigning from Congress,… -
opinion
GE’s Cynical Ruse: Pretending Jobs Are Moving Because of End of Ex-Im Subsidies
American jobs “moving” to Canada. American jobs “moving” to France. Jobs “moving” to China, Hungary, and who knows where else General Electric will claim it must offshore work because Congress rejected reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. But it is all a ruse, as documented below, and a particularly cynical one, given that company CEO Jeff… -
opinion
8 Reasons Congress Should End Taxpayer Support for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) provides loan guarantees, political risk insurance, and direct loans to U.S. and foreign companies to encourage investment in developing and emerging economies. OPIC’s charter will expire on Sept. 30, 2015, but Congress is considering taking action to keep OPIC in business. There are a number of reasons to question… -
news
What the Creator of Planned Parenthood Videos Had to Say About Cecile Richards’ Congressional Testimony
The Center for Medical Progress has responded to Cecile Richards’ testimony at a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday. Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, was questioned by lawmakers for several hours over the use of taxpayer funding by her organization. David Daleiden, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress and the project lead… -
news
Vatican Spokesman Confirms Kim Davis Met Pope Francis
A spokesman for the Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis met Kim Davis during his visit to Washington. “I do not deny that the meeting took place,” Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See Press Office, said, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to a statement released by the Liberty Counsel, a religious liberty… -
news
Kim Davis Presented With ‘Cost of Discipleship’ Award
Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk at the center of a national controversy over her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses, was presented the Cost of Discipleship Award Friday evening at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. The award, presented by the Family Research Council, is given to those who pay a price for… -
news
Republican Divide Sparks Heated Contest for House Majority Leader
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise formally declared his bid for majority leader Tuesday as a handful of congressional conservatives swiftly moved to pull South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy into the race. Gowdy, who continues to spearhead the high-profile investigations into Hillary Clinton’s email controversy and handling of Benghazi, sidestepped leadership calls by mid-afternoon despite a… -
news
Inspired to Stop Terrorism, Congressman Continues to Fight Iran Deal
Rep. Patrick Meehan is not fond of giving up. “I’d like to have [Obama] administration officials over telling us why they believe it’s in the best interests of the United States of America to return money to terrorists who may use it to create more victims,” Meehan, R-Pa., said of his legislation to force Iran to pay… -
news
How House Conservatives Are Approaching Boehner’s Successor Race
Conservatives are not known for patience. A do-it-now, uncompromising mentality has helped the Tea Party topple former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and now Speaker John Boehner. But just as they seem at the peak of their powers, conservatives are taking a step back, and taking a cautious, slow approach to upcoming leadership elections that… -
news
19 Key Numbers Republicans Used to Question Planned Parenthood
The fight over Planned Parenthood reached a boiling point Tuesday on Capitol Hill when Cecile Richards, president of the organization, testified before Congress about how the group uses taxpayer dollars. Richards fiercely defended Planned Parenthood from allegations made by House Republicans, which she called “outrageous, “offensive,” and “categorically untrue.” “The latest smear campaign is based… -
news
Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Think Closing Libraries Wouldn’t Impact Them, Their Families
Should taxpayers keep funding public libraries? The majority of Americans, 66 percent, believe that closing public libraries would have little to no impact on themselves or their families, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. The number of respondents who have borrowed printed books from a public library has dropped by seven percent in… -
opinion
4 Startling Forfeiture Abuse Stories
Earlier this year, The Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center released Arresting Your Property, a comprehensive report on civil asset forfeiture—the much maligned law enforcement tool that enables law enforcement officers to seize cash and property on the suspicion that it has been used to facilitate, or is the result of, criminal activity. Forfeiture allows law enforcement…