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
Getting Small Businesses Back on Track
Despite the recent improvement in our nation’s economic outlook, small businesses and entrepreneurs face significant challenges from today’s burdensome regulatory framework. While the unemployment rate has dropped to 5.5 percent, these numbers don’t tell the whole story. The labor force participation rate—which excludes people who are no longer actively searching for work (and hence serves… -
opinion
Concerns Grow About Common Core Standards
For the majority of states that adopted the Common Core national standards in 2010, this is the school year in which testing begins. And the haste with which Common Core was adopted and implemented has caused problems, adding to a host of concerns already surrounding Common Core. In an article last month in Education Week… -
news
How Arab Spring Opened the Door to Terrorism’s Ugly March
It’s not your imagination. Global terrorism, dominated by Muslim extremist groups, is by far the worst it’s been in modern times. In the past six years, the United States has added 21 names to its list of foreign terrorist organizations: all but one of them radical Muslim groups. That’s more than the previous 10 years… -
news
Here’s What GOP Presidential Hopefuls Think About Tom Cotton’s Letter to Iran
Four of the 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to Iran’s Islamic regime about the constitutional role of Congress are prospective candidates for president, and they stuck to their guns in the face of harsh criticism of the letter from Democrats and media pundits. One, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said today on Glenn Beck’s… -
opinion
Benghazi Committee Seeks Missing Clinton Emails
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally addressed the festering issue of her use of a private email account for official State Department business in a press conference Tuesday at the United Nations. Clinton said she turned over 50,000 emails to the government archives, as required by law, but she also revealed 32,000 emails had… -
opinion
Cyber Compliance Is Not Cyber Protection
Leading cybersecurity analysts met at the 2015 SecureWorld conference in Boston on March 4–5 to discuss the emerging threats and increasingly noticeable drawbacks of cyber regulations. Panelists not only discussed the new, more complex, and difficult-to-detect types of threats, but also agreed that regulatory compliance is the wrong way to strengthen cybersecurity. The Weakness of… -
opinion
Twitter Has Set Up Shop in Hong Kong
That both the world and mainland China benefit from an autonomous Hong Kong was on display once again Tuesday when Twitter announced it has set up its Chinese headquarters in the former British colony. It shows a congressional push linking U.S. privileges to the continuation of such self-rule is timely. The media giant’s move will… -
news
This Super Bowl Champion Is Urging His State to Reject Right-to-Die Legislation
The right-to-die debate is ramping up across the nation as a number of states consider passing legislation that would allow terminally ill adults to take their own life. Among them is Maryland, where lawmakers Tuesday heard emotional testimony from former Ravens linebacker O.J. Brigance, who said he’s enjoyed some of the most meaningful years of his… -
news
Conservatives Critique Jeb Bush’s Stance on No Child Left Behind, Common Core
As president, George W. Bush made passage of No Child Left Behind one of his first priorities. Now, his brother Jeb Bush is speaking out in favor of reauthorizing the law as he plots his own run for the White House. "The goal of conservatives should be to limit federal intervention in education by restoring state… -
news
What Difference Does It Make? Americans Are Paying Attention to Latest Clinton Controversy
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton set social media on fire Tuesday afternoon as she addressed the press for the first time since it was revealed she used her personal email address to conduct official government business. “I thought using one device would be simpler,” @HillaryClinton said of the email controversy. The newest scandal involving… -
opinion
Hillary’s Message Was ‘Just Trust Me.’ That’s Not Good Enough.
Hillary Clinton finally talked to reporters today about her decision to use her personal e-mail while at the State Department. Here’s my take on what she said. I also spoke to MSNBC about Clinton’s press conference: -
opinion
Should Notre Dame Have to Provide Contraception? Circuit Court to Reconsider.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a federal appellate court ruling against Notre Dame University in its challenge to the Obamacare mandate that forces employers to provide healthcare coverage of abortion-inducing drugs and devices. The justices instructed the Chicago-based Seventh Circuit to reconsider the case in light of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, in… -
news
In Iowa, 2016ers Reluctant to Challenge Farm Industry’s Sacred Cows
DES MOINES, Iowa—Toward the end of the Iowa Ag Summit, the eighth in a parade of nine likely Republican candidates for president cozied up to the crowd with a salute to the can-do spirit of the American farmer. “There is no free market in agriculture,” says @DarenBakst Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania senator and winner of… -
news
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders Makes an Outside Pitch for President
Sen. Bernie Sanders laid out his outside pitch for president in a speech today at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, said that he is “thinking” about running for president, presenting himself as a possible challenger to presumed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. “The reason I have been thinking about… -
opinion
25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States
Today Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation making Wisconsin the nation’s 25th right-to-work state. The victory is a historic moment for the growing right-to-work movement. Workers in half the country are now free to stop paying dues to a union they feel is not representing their interests. Despite vehement pushback from union officials, Walker stood with… -
opinion
We Must Remember the Courage Shown at Selma
The year was 1965; the date March 7. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” it was the day brothers and sisters of all walks of life gathered in Selma, Alabama, for a movement that would leave a lasting mark on this country’s history. Motivated by a cause larger than themselves, these brave individuals set out on a treacherous… -
opinion
With ISIS Threat, It’s a Mistake to Not Spend More on Weapons
President Obama’s proposed $122.2 billion funding request for the Air Force calls for greater spending in procurement, with particular focus on increasing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets as well as munitions. This emphasis would help address shortfalls in key munition programs being used extensively in the fight against The Islamic State in Iraq and… -
opinion
How Wisconsin Becoming a Right-to-Work State Will Boost Its Job Growth
(This article was originally published last week, before the Wisconsin state assembly passed right-to-work legislation.) Wisconsin is poised this week to become the 25th “right-to-work state,” ending forced unionization and allowing individual workers to decide if they want to join a union or not. The Wisconsin Senate just recently passed right-to-work, and our sources in Madison… -
news
At Iowa Ag Summit, GOP’s 2016 Presidential Prospects Make Their Pitch
DES MOINES, Iowa—The Ag Summit convened this morning just off the slightly run-down corner of East 30th and Walnut streets, a stone’s throw from establishments such as Fairground Hardware, Marty's Barber Shop, Rumors Tattoos ’n’ Piercings and the Home Plate Diner. At a table inside the diner Friday evening, a middle-aged man named Greg is… -
news
Here’s Why Some New York Towns Want to Secede to Pennsylvania
Some residents of New York’s Southern Tier have proposed seceding to Pennsylvania. Residents of the area say they're unable to capitalize on the gas-rich Marcellus Shale due to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s fracking ban. "The Southern Tier is desolate," Conklin town supervisor Jim Finch told WBNG. "We have no jobs and no income. The richest…