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
White House Views Hispanics as Mere Electoral Pawns
In the annals of cynical political maneuvers, President Obama’s decision to postpone executive action on immigration until after the election must win some sort of prize. It’s not just the rawness of the political calculation but also the chutzpah of insisting that the decision came because acting now would have doomed long-lasting reform. Nobody believes… -
news
Transparently Bad: U.S. Whistleblowers Feel Blowback
Federal employees who expose government waste, fraud and abuse are having a tough time in the “most transparent administration in history.” Robert MacLean, a former air marshal, told a House subcommittee Tuesday that managers at the Transportation Security Administration “thumb their nose” at whistleblower protection laws. MacLean, who complained that air marshals were improperly grounded… -
opinion
What ISIS Is Trying to Achieve With Its Slick Videos
The grisly propaganda videos released by Islamist terrorists of the executions of innocent American hostages are coldly calculated to intimidate the terrorist group’s enemies, inspire its followers and incite further attacks against the United States and our allies. The Islamic State (formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS) considers the… -
news
‘Act of Pure Evil’: ISIS Video Depicts Beheading of British Hostage
The terrorist group ISIS tonight released a video purporting to show the recent beheading of a British humanitarian aid worker captured in Syria last year. The video apparently shows the grisly murder of David C. Haines, 44, in an execution that British Prime Minister David Cameron called “an act of pure evil.” We will do everything… -
news
How Chick-fil-A’s Family Values Keep Kiddie Customers Satisfied
Chick-fil-A, not shy about asking young Americans to “eat mor chikin,” is giving the Happy Meal a run for the money. Parents and caretakers rate the faith-based, fast-food chicken chain higher in “kid appeal” than McDonald’s, research shows. And although Chick-fil-A serves far fewer mouths a year than McDonald’s —with 1,800 locations nationwide compared with the… -
opinion
Why Hispanics Thrive in Texas, But Not in California
The world provides us with countless case studies on the relative merits of free markets and central planning. In Asia and Europe we have seen the controlled experiments of the Koreas and the two postwar Germanys, admittedly extreme examples. In South America, we have consistently successful Chile and perennially chaotic Argentina. In this country, we… -
opinion
Reminder: Everything the Government ‘Gives’ Someone Must Be Taken From Taxpayer Dollars
Congress has returned to Washington, but not for long. The looming midterm elections mean that lawmakers are here only for what USA Today calls “a three-week sprint” before they’re back out to campaign. That, in an age of growing dependency on government, means voters can expect to hear more pandering. ‘Tis the season for promises… -
opinion
Wisconsin Is Treating Conservatives Like a Banana Republic Would
Oral arguments were heard Tuesday before the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in O'Keefe vs. Chisholm, the so-called John Doe investigation in which local prosecutors in Wisconsin tried to criminalize political speech and activity on public issues. The 7th Circuit should uphold the lower court decision halting this Star Chamber investigation that violated basic… -
news
250,000 Virginians Set to Receive Health Insurance Cancellation Notices
A quarter-million Virginians likely will lose their health insurance plans by the end of the year because their plans to do not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. That’s in addition to the thousands of Virginians who already had lost their plans over the last year because of non-compliance with the ACA, popularly… -
news
Au Contraire, Mr. Secretary: ‘We Are at War’ With ISIS
This means war. Apparently. Standing in sharp contrast to Secretary of State John Kerry, White House and Pentagon officials today confirmed the United States is at war with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters during a briefing that the country is, in fact, “at… -
opinion
Federal Court: Ohio Can’t Ban Saying Lies About Candidates
On Thursday, a federal court in Ohio struck down a state criminal law banning “false statements” about candidates for office. Under the law, anyone could lodge a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission (the “truth squad”) alleging someone made a false statement during the course of an election. If the commission found probable cause, then… -
opinion
No Matter What Tarullo Says, More Regulation Will Not Make Us Safer
Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo has announced that the Fed is about to propose new capital requirements for large banks. The New York Times reports that these new “special” requirements will be more stringent than the international regulations being promulgated, something that is not entirely unexpected given previous announcements. However, Tarullo also made this statement… -
opinion
This Liberal French Economist Is Wrong About How Many Robots Could Replace Human Employees
In his bestselling treatise "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," Thomas Piketty’s vision of the future is – implicitly – a robot dystopia where continued investment in high-tech capital renders human labor less and less important to the perpetual enrichment of those who own the capital. Piketty did not, of course, intend merely to muse about… -
news
‘Eyes Wide Open’ Urged in Funding Syrian Rebels to Fight ISIS
House Speaker John Boehner yesterday reassured Americans that Syrian rebels — who could be the recipients of $500 million in U.S. aid — have been “well-vetted” by intelligence officials. Among skeptics, however, is a former top Pentagon official who urged that congressional leaders keep "eyes wide open" and not rush toward unintended results. During his weekly press… -
news
Run Out of Villages by ISIS, Religious Minorities in Mideast Stand Together
In Defense of Christians, an organization that raises awareness of the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, held its first-ever summit this week at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, D.C. Today, the last day of the event, The Daily Signal spoke with religious leaders from Syria, Turkey and Brooklyn,… -
opinion
A Majority of Adult Americans Are Now Single. Yet Most Want to Get Married.
Half of Americans adults were single in August 2014, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. While the majority of adults are now single, most adults still aspire to marriage. According to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 75 percent of Americans are or would like to be married. Among young adults (ages 18-34),… -
opinion
How Americans Are Honoring the Fallen 13 Years Later
Thirteen years ago, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 innocent people in New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. Today, communities across the nation pay tribute to the fallen, their families and those who fought in their honor. 1. Firefighters Salinas Fire Station 1 in California hosted a moving ceremony for the community. At 6:45 a.m.,… -
opinion
As You Were Watching 9/11 Unfold on TV, He Was in the Classroom With President Bush
Twitter wasn’t around in 2001. But if it was, we can assume that the world would quickly turn to the social media platform for breaking details of the tragic day. Today, 13 years after terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa., President George W. Bush’s press secretary Ari… -
news
Mideast Christian Conference Organizers Never Told Cruz That Israel Was Off Limits
Hours after the Texas Republican walked off the stage to boos at a conference of Middle Eastern Christians, Sen. Ted Cruz’s office says organizers of the event never told him to avoid talking about Israel or the Jewish people. “They were made no longer welcome,” says In Defense of Christians president after @SenTedCruz heckling. "It is… -
opinion
Broadcasting Reform: Time to Rearm, and Fight Enemy Propaganda
As the Obama Administration searches for a strategy to counter the propaganda challenge from radical Islamist groups, reform of U.S. international broadcasting remains in limbo. Yet, even with the rise of social media, broadcasting remains the U.S. government’s most important and direct way to communicate with foreign publics. In troubled regions, such as the Middle…