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
Time to Prosecute the EPA Like Any Other Company
Last month, the EPA caused a spill of toxic waste into the Animas River in Colorado. That event demonstrates that even the federal agency responsible for regulating the disposal of hazardous waste can make mistakes that lead to environmental contamination. It also proves that the federal government plays favorites in criminal environmental enforcement. If private parties had… -
opinion
Cronies May Throw Fits, but Ex-Im Should Stay Dead
Let’s say you’ve been letting your child watch too much TV. You decide, quite sensibly, to cut down on his viewing time. Think he’ll realize it’s for the best and take it without a fuss? Not likely. One way or another, he’ll make his feelings known. You might get tears, or you might get a… -
opinion
Intelligence Analysts Claim US CENTCOM Altered Their Reports
Intelligence analysts can make no more serious a charge than to claim that somebody altered their work and their assessments. It goes to the very core of their function: the integrity of their work as it reaches top-level customers. Those customers range from political leaders to generals, all the way to the commander in chief. But… -
opinion
General Electric Needs to Tone Down Its Ex-Im Rhetoric
Media outlets across the nation readily accepted the claim this week by General Electric that 500 U.S. jobs, including many from Greenville, would be moved overseas because the Republican-led Congress rejected reauthorization the Export-Import Bank. All of which is nonsense. The real story is that GE, along with Boeing and other top beneficiaries of the… -
news
Watch John Boehner Explain Why He’s Leaving Congress
At a press conference Friday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, explained why he decided to resign from Congress. Boehner, who will leave office by the end of October, said he’s stepping down because Republican turmoil is not good for members of Congress or the institution. -
opinion
Why Show Votes on Planned Parenthood Aren’t Fooling Anybody
It’s hard to keep up with all the “voting” taking place on Capitol Hill led by Republicans to “show” how committed they are to furthering pro-life issues. Whether through standalone bills to defund Planned Parenthood, continuing resolutions that fund the rest of the government but redirect Planned Parenthood dollars to other qualified clinics providing women’s health… -
opinion
DC’s Plan to License Personal Trainers Hits a Snag
This week, Washington, D.C., took another step towards becoming the first jurisdiction in America to license personal trainers. The little-known Board of Physical Therapy voted to adopt rules requiring a two-year degree or certification for personal trainers in the nation’s capital. City officials and regulators said the move was driven by a paternalistic desire to… -
news
6 Times John Boehner Clashed With Conservatives
House Speaker John Boehner has announced that he will resign as speaker and forfeit his congressional seat at the end of next month. Boehner, R-Ohio, was first elected to Congress in 1990 and was elected as speaker in 2011. His announcement comes the day after Pope Francis became the first pope to address a joint session… -
news
37 Tweets About John Boehner’s Resignation
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced Friday morning that he will resign from Congress at the end of October. This announcement comes one day after Pope Francis spoke to a joint meeting of Congress. Here are 37 tweets from a top Twitter trend on Friday. Was on the air at Voter Values Summit when Rubio… -
news
Flashback: John Boehner Boasted of ‘Broad Support’ Just Two Months Ago
Two months ago, Speaker John Boehner dismissed suggestions that his job was in jeopardy. Boehner made the comments at a July press conference following news of Rep. Mark Meadows’ motion to remove him as speaker. -
news
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich Explains Why John Boehner Resigned
Newt Gingrich served as House speaker from January 1995 to January 1999. He left the job with members of Congress frustrated by his leadership, similar to the circumstances facing Speaker John Boehner, who announced he would leave Congress by the end of October. -
opinion
Cartoon: The Editing of Pope Francis
Earlier this week Katrina Trinko wrote on Pope Francis and the media: When it comes to Pope Francis, the media are quick to pick up on his more liberal views. In a story headlined, “Republicans’ Comments Put Them on Other Side of Pope’s Visiting Message,” the New York Times reports, “Pope Francis has delivered an encyclical… -
news
John Boehner Will Resign From Congress
>>> Updated to include a wave of response. House Speaker John Boehner announced to Republican lawmakers this morning that he will resign as speaker and from Congress at the end of October. The news surprised Washington even though the Ohio Republican has faced renewed pressure from conservatives who want to use a must-pass spending bill to strip… -
news
Nuns Prepare 100,000 Communion Wafers for Philly Papal Visit
Preparation for mass during a papal visit takes water, flour, and the dedication of a group of Pennsylvania nuns hard at work in the kitchen. Pope Francis will spend Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia. Pope Francis sends a special message to Philadelphia – I’ll Be There because you’ll be there! #popeinphilly #wmf2015 https://t.co/pR22C28yUW — World… -
news
Iraqi Priest Pleads for Pope Francis to Help End ‘Genocide’ of Christians
As ISIS terrorists forced Father Behnam Benoka and his fellow Christian people from their homes last summer, they left behind possessions, money, documents, and history. Carrying nothing but faith, Benoka, the former rector of the seminary in Mosul, Iraq, set up a makeshift health clinic at a refugee camp for internally displaced minorities near Erbil,… -
news
6 Charts That Show America’s Shifting Catholic Landscape
Upon arriving in Washington, D.C., earlier this week, Pope Francis was greeted by throngs of people eager to see the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. But across the U.S., the pope is also seeing a Catholic Church in America with changing demographics. Pope Francis arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday and spent two days… -
news
Pope Francis Makes Unscheduled Visit to Little Sisters of the Poor to Show His Support
Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop to visit the Little Sisters of the Poor during his visit to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Catholic nuns who care for the elderly poor, has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration to fight its mandate that employers provide coverage… -
opinion
Congress Should Fix the Broken Highway Trust Fund
After bailing the Highway Trust Fund out (yet again) with $8 billion dollars at the end of July, Congress faces yet another deadline to authorize spending on highway and transit programs this fall. Per the July agreement, spending authority for these programs is set to expire on October 29th, adding yet another important deadline to… -
opinion
In Address to Congress, Pope Defends Dignity of Politics, Work, Life, Family, and Freedom
Before a joint session of Congress this morning, Pope Francis delivered a rousing address calling upon Americans to live up to the highest of our nation’s ideals. Pointing to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton, Francis praised Americans for their commitments to “liberty,” “liberty in plurality and non-exclusion,” “social justice… -
news
28 Tweets From Members of Congress During Pope Francis’s Visit to Capitol Hill
On the last day of his trip to Washington, D.C., Pope Francis arrived on Capitol Hill around 9:15 Thursday morning. Francis first met with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, before he entered the House chamber for a joint session of Congress. This event marks the first time a pope has addressed Congress—a goal Boehner, a Catholic himself, has…