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
House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Two Bills That Could Defund Planned Parenthood
The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Thursday regarding legislation authored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., vice chairman of the committee, and Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., that would end taxpayer funding for abortion providers who violate the law. Blackburn’s bill would strengthen the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002, and Ellmers’ bill… -
opinion
77% of Americans Oppose Funding Organization That Sells Fetal Body Parts
Over 60 members of Congress and numerous other organizations are calling on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood of the over $500 million in taxpayer funding it receives each year. The members want to redirect those taxpayer dollars for women’s health care to over 13,000 local health centers that are better poised to provide comprehensive women’s… -
news
Conservatives Face Uphill Battle to Use Government Funding Bill to Punish Planned Parenthood
House conservatives hoping to make what they believe is the strongest play to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding face an unsettling reality: Many in their conference don’t want to risk even the prospect of a government shutdown. At a closed-door meeting of House lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday, GOP leaders showed lawmakers an… -
opinion
New Movie ‘Captive’ Breaks the Mold for Faith-Based Films
The new movie “Captive,” which opens this weekend, breaks the typical Hollywood mold. “Captive” tells the true story of drug addict Ashley Smith, who, while being held captive in her own apartment, reads the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Pastor Rick Warren to her captor, Brian Nichols. Through this transformative experience, both characters are given… -
opinion
Cartoon: Are 40 Million Americans Truly Poor?
Senior research fellow Robert Rector wrote earlier this week on the Census Bureau's poverty report: Today, the Census Bureau will release its annual poverty report. It will almost certainly report that over 40 million Americans “live in poverty.” But what does it mean to be poor in America? To the average American, the word “poverty”… -
news
‘Everything Is Just Going Crazy’: Washington Gears Up for Pope Francis’ Visit
According to Joshua Gonnerman, a doctoral student in historical theology at the Catholic University of America, it’s been anything but business as usual on campus for the past few weeks. “I honestly wouldn’t describe it as much as a buzz or an energy so much as an insanity,” Gonnerman, who has a ticket to attend… -
news
Inspector General Report Finds Agency’s Role in Choke Point ‘Limited’
An investigation into the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s role in Operation Choke Point, a program that critics say targeted gun sellers, found the agency’s involvement to be “limited” but issued significant recommendations to address issues “engrained” in the organization’s supervisory culture. “[W]e believe it is prudent for FDIC senior leadership to reiterate its revised policies… -
opinion
Have You Read the Constitution Today?
Laura Leigh Hicks is a high school student with a simple message about the U.S. Constitution: Read it. She submitted this winning PSA to Constituting America’s We the Future contest. Today, on the Constitution’s 228th birthday, the group shared the PSA to bring awareness to America’s founding document. >>> The Heritage Guide to the Constitution -
news
Ahmed Mohamed Wasn’t the First: 9 Other Times Schools Treated Students Like Criminals
Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student in Irving, Texas, made headlines yesterday after local authorities arrested him for bringing a homemade clock to his high school. According to news reports, the teen showed his creation to an English teacher before being taken out of school in handcuffs. Mohamed is not the first student to face the… -
news
23-Month-Old Model With Down Syndrome Melts Hearts With Adorable Photos
Connie-Rose Seabourne’s big blue eyes and happy smile are taking the Internet by storm. Born in Britain two months prematurely, Seabourne was diagnosed with Down syndrome at just two weeks old. Now almost 23 months old, the toddler recently began modeling. It was reported that Seabourne’s mother, Julia Britton, 42, sent photos of her daughter to… -
opinion
ISIS Persecution of Women and Religious Minorities Constitutes Genocide
“What we are seeing today under ISIS is genocide. We should not be afraid of using that word. Politicians worldwide, unfortunately, are afraid of this because genocide has legal implications for governments, for all of us. But we should call a spade a spade. When genocide is committed we are obliged to take steps to… -
opinion
New Government Mandate Could Cause Chaos Within Health Care
As Oct. 1 approaches my inbox fills more every day with junk mail from health IT vendors offering solutions to my presumed panic. What panic? Well, as most inside medicine know, Oct. 1, 2015, is a red-letter day that will bring the biggest single change to medical billing in the last 30 years (thanks to… -
opinion
There Is Only One Way to End Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood. Here’s Why.
Why, oh why, is it so hard for Republicans to do the right thing and put up a good fight to end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood? On this issue, and others before it, it seems the GOP leadership has decided that principles and campaign promises must succumb to the “what we believe is politically… -
news
As Conservatives Weigh Challenge, House Leaders Stand By Boehner
As conservatives weigh whether to challenge House Speaker John Boehner—waiting to see how he handles upcoming fights on Planned Parenthood and the debt ceiling—high-ranking Republicans are sticking by their leader. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., backed Boehner and said efforts to oust him are distracting the… -
news
1 Out of 10 Americans Thinks Owning a Pet Is a Right Guaranteed by the Constitution
A recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that a majority of Americans are unaware of what is considered basic knowledge of the Constitution. This information, which was released Wednesday, comes on the cusp of the 228th anniversary of Constitution Day (Sept. 17). Here are some of the… -
news
Warren, Vitter Team Up to Take on Wall Street’s ‘Too Big to Fail’ Megabanks
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and David Vitter, R-La., have merged in an unlikely pairing to rein in the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending powers to Wall Street’s biggest banks. The two introduced bipartisan legislation in the spring that would hinder megabank bailouts should another financial crisis hit the U.S. “It is time to end too big… -
opinion
Black and Conservative and Proud of It
In the early years of the conservative movement, when few black Americans supported Barry Goldwater for president, one young man stood out. To quote Bill Buckley, Jay Parker was black and conservative and proud of it. Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Jay moved to Washington, D.C. to begin his own public affairs firm, attracting clients… -
opinion
Personal Trainers Next on Washington’s Over-Regulation List?
When Andrew Killion opened District Crossfit in 2010, he was training a few handfuls of people in a converted auto garage. Today, Killion oversees one of the largest Crossfit gyms in Washington, D.C., with six full-time employees—called “coaches” in the Crossfit lingo—who help more than 400 members sweat their way through daily workouts in a… -
opinion
What Happens When Americans Stop Revering the Constitution?
National holidays are about gratitude. On Veterans Day we honor veterans by offering our gratitude for their service and sacrifice. On Thanksgiving we offer our appreciation, as Washington explains in the first Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, to God and nation. Today, on Constitution Day, we offer our gratitude to the framers of the Constitution while honoring… -
opinion
James Madison, Self-Government and the Importance of Self-Control
As we commemorate Constitution Day this Sep. 17th, we might recall the exceptional contributions of the shy, 5’6”, not much more than 100 lb. fellow from Piedmont, Va. who is generally considered the Father of the Constitution. As modest as James Madison was in appearance and demeanor, he made up for in his aspiration for…