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
We Can Move Past Keystone XL By Building It
In discussing infrastructure in his State of the Union last month, President Obama said “Let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline.” Well, it’s a lot easier to do that if we allow the pipeline to be built. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would approve the permit to construct… -
opinion
Howard Dean Is Judging Scott Walker for Not Having a College Degree. Why He Shouldn’t.
Howard Dean has a problem with Scott Walker’s lack of a college degree. “Scott Walker, were he to become president, would be the first president in many generations who did not have a college degree,” said Dean, a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate and former governor of Vermont, today on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Commenting on Walker’s… -
news
Republicans Celebrate Historic Firsts in Tribute to Black Leaders
The Republican National Committee held its third annual Black Republican Trailblazer Awards luncheon at the historic Howard Theater on Howard University’s campus yesterday. The event recognized the recent success of black leaders in the Republican Party. The event, hosted by CNN’s Tara Setmayer Love and TV One’s Roland Martin, honored three Republicans: Sen. Tim Scott… -
opinion
No Program Left Behind
Congress is currently considering reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, the largest federal law governing K-12 education policy. The current House version of the reauthorization, the amended Student Success Act (SSA), passed out of the Education and the Workforce Committee yesterday. The SSA is similar to a proposal first introduced in 2012 by Rep. John… -
opinion
How Dynamic Scoring Can Affect Congress’s Vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Administration, led by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, is actively negotiating a free trade agreement with 11 countries, known officially as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP would open markets and expand trade among countries that constitute approximately 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). Assuming the successful completion of… -
opinion
Does Marriage Make You Happier? What a New Study Found
“Those who marry are more satisfied than those who remain single,” claims a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research. But does marriage itself influence happiness? Or is it just that happier people are more likely to wed? This study gives support to the idea that marriage itself contributes to happiness. (In other… -
news
4 Cuba Experts Have Differing Views on Island’s Future
MIAMI—When Sebastian Arcos steps back to evaluate President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba, he tries to forget his own experiences with the Castro regime. But it’s difficult for Arcos to have a clean perspective because the Cuban government’s imprints are all over his life—he spent a year in prison, and was kicked out… -
opinion
Could a Handful of Terrorists Take Down an Entire City?
The recent arrest of six individuals living in the United States, accused of attempting to aid and support the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), underscores the continuing threat posed by radicalized individuals operating within the respective borders of the United States and her Western allies. The group, hailing from Missouri, Illinois and New… -
opinion
Q&A: What Is the New Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center and How Will It Work?
The Obama administration has announced its intention to create a new fusion center to bring together all sources of intelligence and law enforcement information to combat cyber intrusions. The new center will be known as the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (or CTIIC). What would this new center do? The mission of CTIIC will be… -
news
How the D.C. Central Kitchen Became a Place for Second Chances and Fighting Hunger
Located just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, a local food kitchen in Washington, D.C., is changing the way people think about food distribution to those in need. Its success has lawmakers taking note. Yesterday, the D.C. Central Kitchen played host to two House Republican leaders and a Missouri congressman. They were there to promote the… -
news
Utah Plan Would Force Out-of-State Online Retailers to Collect State Sales Tax
Utah is considering legislation that would mandate out-of-state online retailers to collect Utah sales taxes or obtain a license to continue selling their products in the state. Utah state Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, the incoming president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, supports bill, arguing that online retailers should have to collect the same… -
opinion
Freedom of Information Act Protects the Public Interest
Bureaucratic stonewalling erects barriers to the public’s right to know. It also undermines our system of checks and balances and weakens the public’s trust in our institutions of government. Let’s remember the genesis of our republic. The government works for the people, not the other way around. Foot-dragging subverts transparency and creates a credibility gap…. -
news
EPA Under Fire for Concealing Controversial Scientific Data, Silencing Skeptics
For more than 15 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has resisted releasing data from two key studies to the general public and members of Congress. Government regulators used those studies to craft some of the most expensive environmental rules in U.S. history. When skeptics within the federal government questioned and challenged the integrity of the… -
news
White House Clarifies Obama’s Comments on Paris Kosher Deli Attack
During a recently-released interview, President Obama told Vox that the culprits of an attack in Paris were “a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.” Last month, a gunman identified as Amedy Coulibaly took hostages in the Jewish deli Hyper Cacher in… -
opinion
Government Agency Wants to Curb Penalizing Banks to Increase Lower Quality Mortgages
A government agency wants to roll back penalties on banks that make errors when providing mortgages backed by government. If a loan is backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), that means if the borrower defaults, the government will cover some of the original loan the bank made to the borrower. So it makes sense… -
opinion
Illinois Governor Ends Forced Union Dues for State Employees
Go big or go home. That must be newly elected Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s motto. A week ago the Republican governor announced his support for local right-to-work zones. Then on Monday, he signed an executive order making union dues voluntary for state government employees. He also filed a preemptive legal challenge that could make it… -
opinion
Cyberspace and Terrorism: A Global Challenge
ISIS’ effectiveness at using the Internet to spread terror and attract foreign recruits is now well documented. The terrorist group has taken psychological warfare to dimensions Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels would have admired. In-depth analysis of ISIS propaganda is a necessity for understanding how to combat violent Islamic extremism online. A program at The Heritage… -
opinion
How This New Regulation Will Drive Up Your Health Care Costs
America’s doctors, already struggling with the Affordable Care Act’s regulatory burdens, could face another round of red tape—which means higher costs for ordinary Americans. The new round of red tape is the government-mandated implementation of the International Classification of Diseases tenth revision (ICD-10). The new system, delayed last year, goes into effect Oct. 1, 2015…. -
news
Behind the Scenes at the News Station Castro Wants to Shut Down
MIAMI—At a recent meeting of Latin American leaders in Costa Rica, Cuban President Raúl Castro outlined his conditions for normalized relations with the United States. One was returning the Guantanamo Bay naval station to Havana. The other was ending “radio and television broadcasts, which violate international norms.” That was a direct shot at U.S.-funded Radio… -
news
Former Drug Czar, Federal Prosecutor Argue Against Marijuana Legalization: ‘The Science Does Not Support It’
There are a growing number of medical marijuana dispensaries across the United States and a majority of Americans who support legalization. But two critics of the drug said the science points to serious problems with pot. Speaking at a Heritage Foundation event Monday, former drug czar William J. Bennett and federal prosecutor Robert A. White…