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
Jon Stewart Confronts Bill O’Reilly on ‘White Privilege,’ and Doesn’t Get Response He Expects
No bloviating: It was an exchange you don’t want to miss. On “The Daily Show” the other night, host Jon Stewart and Fox News giant Bill O’Reilly went at it over “white privilege,” the idea that whites—especially white men—continue to have an advantage over all other races. Stewart probably wasn’t expecting the facts that came next,… -
news
Contrary to What You Hear, Obama Is Deporting Fewer, Allowing More Criminals to Stay
Total deportations by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement shrunk by 15 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to a new report by the Center for Immigration Studies. Continuing a trend from last year, immigration enforcement activity by ICE officers has declined across the board in areas such as deportations and arrests, with some numbers dropping by… -
opinion
The Dates that Matter: Complicated History Preceded Hong Kong Protests
September 4, 1839 Start of the First Opium War between China and Great Britain. Although some historians and figures at the time, including our sixth president John Quincy Adams, believed this war was over free trade, it has always been China’s position that it was unfairly waged over the right to let Britain sell opium… -
news
Flash Mobs With a Spiritual Twist: How Communities Are Coming Together to Revive Churches
Move over, flash mobs. Mass Mobs are here. Inspired by flash mobs, groups of Catholics have started Mass Mobs, an effort to gather the faithful to a specific church via social networking to attend Mass together. “This group is bringing back the community,” says the Rev. Ravi Marneni of St. Francis D’Assisi. Mass Mobs have popped… -
opinion
If You Don’t Know These Heroes’ Names, You May Be a Victim of Political Correctness
Juan Seguín, José Antonio Navarro, Lorenzo de Zavala. Recognize any of those names? If so, you know your Texas history well. If not, you may be a victim of political correctness. That’s because these three men don’t fit into the standard historical narrative in Texas. All were war heroes, fighting for Texas’ independence from Mexico… -
opinion
Government to Ordained Ministers: Celebrate Same-Sex Wedding or Go to Jail
For years, those in favor of same-sex marriage have argued that all Americans should be free to live as they choose. And yet in countless cases, the government has coerced those who simply wish to be free to live in accordance with their belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. Ministers face… -
opinion
What Really Ended the Great Depression
“What is history but a fable agreed upon?” as Napoleon once put it, and never has that been more true than the story of the Great Depression and its aftermath. With liberals again pitching more government spending “stimulus” in Washington, it’s critical we get this history right. In a previous column I unmasked the historical… -
opinion
White House Declared Ebola a National Security Concern. Why That Was a Total Mistake.
The White House has declared Ebola to be a top national-security concern. That ought to worry Americans. The last time a president tried to make a disease a national-security issue, he helped trigger a global pandemic that killed 50 million people. Progressives like to expropriate the label of national security to help drive their agendas…. -
news
Meet the New Ebola Czar
President Obama today turned to a trusted lawyer and political operative to become the nation’s “Ebola czar,” charged with managing the effort to contain the deadly virus. Obama’s pick, Ron Klain, oversaw implementation in 2009 of what proved to be the president’s largely ineffective $800 billion economic stimulus package while chief of staff to Vice… -
opinion
Cartoon: Misplaced Priorities
Should "climate change" really be a top priority for America's military? >>> Hey, Defense Department: Focus on ISIS, not Climate Change -
news
This Document Proves Operation Choke Point Exists (If You Had Any Doubt)
A House committee today released a letter showing government regulators pressuring an Ohio bank to terminate all relationships with payday lenders. “[W]e have generally found that activities related to payday lending are unacceptable for an insured depository institution,” wrote Anthony Lowe, regional director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, wrote in the letter dated Feb…. -
news
This Chart Shows Conservatives Way More Likely to Vote Than Liberals in Midterms
Conservatives are more likely to vote than liberals in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new poll released by The Pew Research Center. Seventy-three percent of respondents who said they are “consistently conservative,” and 52 percent of those who are “mostly conservative” reported that they are likely to vote in the election. Meanwhile, 58… -
opinion
Choice of Klain for Ebola Czar Suggest White House Sees Ebola as Political, Not Medical, Problem
The naming of Ron Klain as the new Ebola czar leaves me with a couple of questions. Do we need a “czar” at all? And why is this guy who we picked? On the positive side, one of the biggest problems with the Ebola response so far is the poor communications effort, and lack of… -
opinion
Houston to Pastors: OK, We Don’t Need Your Sermons, but You Still Have to Hand Over Your Speeches
You’d be hard pressed to find a lawyer willing to defend the overly broad subpoenas that were issued by the City of Houston to a group of pastors in connection with a lawsuit that I discussed here. To recap this sorry tale: a number of pastors helped organize a petition drive calling for a referendum… -
opinion
Catch Up on This Week’s News in These 18 Photos
Ebola may be the only news you paid attention to this week (how could you not), but photo journalists all over the world captured everything from airstrikes to circus elephants. Check out some of their best work, and catch up on this week's news in the 18 photos below. Remember ISIS? A U.S.-led coalition is… -
opinion
Wisconsin State Prosecutors Lose Another Round in Their Outrageous Attempt to Silence Conservatives
Fortunately for the interests of American democracy, the First Amendment and citizen advocacy, state prosecutors in Wisconsin have just lost another round in their outrageous attempt to criminalize political speech and silence the voices of conservatives in Wisconsin. On Oct. 14, federal district court Judge Rudolph Randa issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the Wisconsin Government… -
opinion
Why Iraq’s Chemical Weapons Are a Lingering Threat
The New York Times published a lengthy article Wednesday about chemical weapons found in Iraq. When it comes to chemical weapons, the New York Times charged that the culprits are the Bush administration and the Pentagon, which allegedly covered up the medical risks that the illegal weapons posed to American and Iraqi soldiers. It essentially… -
news
Is AirBNB the Next Uber? NYC Issues Report Calling 3 out of 4 AirBNB Rentals Illegal.
AirBNB can easily help travelers find unique locations to stay such as castles, villas and igloos. Places to stay in New York, however, might be more difficult to find. AirBNB is an online service that connects property owners with renters. Renters can search among AirBNB’s hosts for places to stay while traveling. On Thursday, New… -
opinion
Benghazi Accountability Coalition: Call Panetta to Testify ASAP
The Benghazi Accountability Coalition has called on Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, to depose former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta as soon as possible. Whether Gowdy agrees remains to be seen. Why call committee members back less than three weeks before the mid-term election, rather than wait for… -
news
Buzz Kill? Richmond Puts Brewery on Public Tab
RICHMOND, Va. — Thirsty for jobs and good times, the city of Richmond is vowing to build a brewery on the James River. The estimated $36 million tab includes $5 million from Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s “Opportunity Fund.” If approved by the City Council, most of the money will be raised with a general revenue bond,…