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
Congress Passed 800 Pages of Legislation. Agencies Proposed, Adopted 80,000 Pages of Regulations.
Finding Americans fed up with governmental abuses isn’t hard. They wonder why we have politicians who spend too much, bureaucrats who regulate too much, and officials who limit our freedom at almost every turn. The answer, I believe, is mostly rooted in ignorance. They’ve either forgotten what they once knew about the U.S. Constitution and… -
opinion
What Is Iran Doing Behind Our Backs in the Middle East?
So much for those who were hoping that the recently concluded—but clearly unfinished—nuclear deal with Iran would serve as the basis for a replay of President Nixon’s historic opening to China. As the next phase of nuclear talks begins this week in Vienna, Tehran is on a tear. This time it’s in Yemen where news… -
opinion
Dana Perino Tells Megyn Kelly the Story NPR Didn’t Want You to Hear About George W. Bush
Earlier this week, The Daily Signal brought you the touching story of President George W. Bush’s visit to wounded veterans. It’s included in Dana Perino’s new book, “And the Good News Is…” However, during an interview with NPR, only part of the story made it on air. Perino recounts the full story for Fox News’ Megyn… -
opinion
Are Liberals Finally Rallying to Save Liberty?
No part of our culture wars draws more heat than same-sex marriage. It is therefore noteworthy when vituperative tactics get so extreme that some members on one side of the debate call foul on their own comrades. Alas, that doesn’t happen in America very often anymore. The incipient revolt against the tactics prescribed by Saul… -
news
State Says Bakers Should Pay $135,000 for Refusing to Bake Cake for Same-Sex Wedding
An Oregon administrative law judge recommended today that the bakers who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding should be fined $135,000. "[T]he forum concludes that $75,000 and $60,000, are appropriate awards to compensate [the same-sex couple] for the emotional suffering they experienced," wrote Alan McCullough, administrative law judge for Oregon's Bureau of… -
opinion
Bureaucratic Commissions Won’t Get Mississippi out of Common Core
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) has just vetoed an “anti”–Common Core bill. He was right to do so. The bill didn’t do what its backers said it would do: withdraw Mississippi from Common Core. In remarks yesterday, Bryant stated, “I remain firmly committed to ending Common Core in Mississippi. This bill does not accomplish that… -
opinion
Why There’s No Right to Gay Marriage in 6 Video Clips
On Thursday night, Ryan T. Anderson, the William E. Simon senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, participated in a debate about gay marriage. We’ve assembled some of the key moments and exchanges from that debate here. >>> Ryan T. Anderson will be on ABC’s “This Week” this Sunday to discuss gay marriage and the… -
opinion
Jim DeMint: Why You Should March for Marriage
Jim DeMint, president of The Heritage Foundation, talks about why Americans should attend the March for Marriage in Washington, D.C., tomorrow. -
opinion
Will Court Upend Government’s Raisin Confiscation Scheme?
Will the U.S. Supreme Court protect small raisin growers from the grasping hand of the federal government? On Wednesday, the attorney for California raisin growers Marvin and Laura Horne argued before the Court that the U.S. Department of Agriculture violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution by taking some of his clients’ raisin crop without… -
opinion
The Myth of Hamiltonian Big Government
Some conservatives are tempted to dismiss or regret the statesmanship and political thought of Alexander Hamilton, our nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury. This temptation may arise as a reaction to the efforts of some progressives to invoke Hamiltonianism as a founding-era precedent for their own desire for an activist and expansive federal government. Uncritically… -
news
NPR Cut Dana Perino’s Heartwarming Story About George W. Bush
Dana Perino’s new book features a touching encounter between President George W. Bush and an injured—and intubated—Marine receiving the Purple Heart. She follows it with another story involving a dying soldier’s mother yelling at the president about the war. Both stories were recounted by Perino in an excerpt from “And the Good News Is…” that… -
opinion
Killing of U.S. Hostage Shows Limitations of Drones in Fighting Global Terrorism
President Obama announced earlier today that U.S. aid contractor Warren Weinstein, who had been held hostage by al-Qaeda in Pakistan since August 2011, was accidentally killed in a U.S. drone strike in January. The Obama administration must review its protocols with the drone program and consider changes that will prevent such tragic mistakes in the… -
news
House GOP Report: ‘IRS Deliberately Cut Funding for Customer Service’
On Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee released a report detailing wasteful spending at the Internal Revenue Service. The Washington Post recently reported that IRS Commissioner John Koskinen called taxpayer service this season from his agency “abysmal,” and he blamed the poor service on budget cuts. The House Ways and Means Committee, however, said… -
news
House Conservatives Want More Power Over Iran Nuclear Deal
House conservatives today expressed skepticism over a bipartisan Senate plan for Congress to review a nuclear deal with Iran, fearing the measure would give lawmakers little power to actually stop an agreement they don’t like. The Senate bill passed out of committee last week and was deemed a “compromise” because Republican lawmakers agreed to withhold… -
opinion
The State of Our Planet Is Better Than Ever
Today is Earth Day and to hear the experts like Usher and Al Gore tell the story, the planet is in a miserable state. We’re running out of our natural resources, we’re overpopulating the globe and running out of room, the air that we breathe is becoming toxic, the oceans are rising and soon major… -
opinion
What Harvard Students Pushing Fossil Fuel Divestment Are Missing
It’s usually a lot easier to tell someone else to solve a problem than to do it yourself. A movement has sprung up on many college campuses urging schools to divest their endowment funds of any companies that produce fossil fuels. The protesters argue we must dramatically reduce the amount of fossil fuels used each… -
opinion
Why Are These Scholars Concerned About How Redefining Marriage Would Impact the Least Among Us?
A Supreme Court decision requiring states to redefine marriage would undermine the institution of marriage generally, as a number of scholars have shown. That’s particularly bad news for women and children from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, according to an amicus brief filed in the pending marriage case by scholars of women’s and children’s welfare. As Traditionally… -
opinion
Why States Should Get to Decide on Whether to Redefine Marriage
Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on same-sex marriage. In a panel this week at The Heritage Foundation, Ryan T. Anderson, a senior research fellow at Heritage, discussed why the states should be free to choose whether they recognize same-sex marriages. Anderson also talked about marriage, the Founders and Natural Law: Anderson also… -
opinion
Man–Woman Marriage Laws Do Not Infringe Gays’ and Lesbians’ Liberty
Advocates of same-sex marriage have skillfully rallied around the rhetoric of liberty, claiming that laws defining marriage as between a man and a woman curtail the liberty of gays and lesbians. While that claim makes for nice slogans—like “freedom to marry”—it is not grounded in reality. This conclusion is persuasively established by two amicus briefs… -
news
Koch Brothers’ 2016 Endorsement May Turn on Ex-Im Bank Stance
Tycoon philanthropists Charles and David Koch may endorse a conservative Republican candidate for president before the party’s nominating convention, but any such decision is six months or more away. “While I think Governor Walker is terrific, I am not endorsing any candidate for president at this point,” David Koch says. An endorsement likely would turn…