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
Medicare Cuts End Personal Touch of ‘Mom and Pop’ Business Serving Seniors
For Robert and Susan Blair, it was time for an exit strategy. The couple had been in the business of home health care for three decades, and retirement looked more and more attractive. The Blairs’ history of working in the home health care industry began as Ronald Reagan’s presidency was winding down. In 1998, they opened… -
opinion
Judge Upholds State’s Authority to Define Marriage as Union of Man and Woman
Last week a judge in Tennessee upheld that state’s Constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Though the decision was made a week ago, it has only now been made available electronically. The case involved a same-sex couple married in Iowa that sought a divorce in Tennessee. Because… -
opinion
Robin Williams Never Forgot America’s Real Heroes
Today, Hollywood is full of fictional heroes. Yet only a few of the many that have stormed screen sets have ever done much to give back to the real heroes—the men and women of America’s armed forces. Stand up and salute Robin Williams: He was a star who shared his time and talents. Just ask… -
opinion
There Is a ‘Real Threat’ That Islamic State Fighters Could Enter U.S.
“[The Islamic State] has a great number of personnel that they’ve recruited, foreign fighters from Western European countries, some of which are in a visa-waiver program,” says The Heritage Foundation’s Steve Bucci. “They have passports that would not flag them for any special attention.” Watch the full interview on the current situation in Iraq with… -
news
‘No Future for Yezidis in Iraq’: Man Waits for Word of Loved Ones’ Safety
The sentiment is clear, and it resonates all the way to Brampton, Canada. “There is no future for Yezidis in Iraq,” said Mirza Ismail, speaking of the suffering religious minority to which he belongs. Since the Islamic State terrorist group attacked his hometown in the Sinjar plain of northern Iraq on Aug. 2, forcing the… -
opinion
Raw Footage From Iraq: It’s the Most Bone-Chilling Video You’ll See Today
CNN photojournalist Mark Phillips was on board a flight taking supplies to the Yezidi community trying to escape Islamic State fighters in Mount Sinjar, Iraq. His raw footage captures the emotional rescue by the Iraqi air force and Kurdish peshmerga. “There was not a dry eye on the aircraft,” CNN reported. >>> ‘No Future for Yezidis in… -
news
Meet Four Business Owners Squeezed by Operation Choke Point
With no explanation, Brian Brookman last month lost the bank account for his pawn shop. He had no idea why. Brookman says his store in Grand Haven, Mich., never had been in trouble with federal or state officials. And being in the pawn industry, he was required by law to get a city license every… -
news
Christian Group Demands to See Secret IRS Deal With Atheists
The Faith and Freedom Coalition today demanded release of a secret legal agreement between the IRS and an atheist group about censoring the content of sermons and other messages heard in houses of worship by challenging their tax-exempt status. The agreement followed the voluntary dismissal of a 2012 lawsuit filed in federal court by the Freedom… -
news
If ‘bin Laden’ Could Cross the Border, ‘Do You Feel Safe?’
A new video in which filmmaker James O’Keefe crosses from Mexico into the U.S. while costumed as Osama bin Laden dramatizes the need for better surveillance technology at the border but doesn’t illustrate “the biggest threat,” Heritage Foundation analysts say. Arriving in the wake of much media and official attention to thousands of children from… -
news
Are the Media Helping Hamas? Watch S.E. Cupp and James Zogby Square Off.
“Crossfire” host S.E. Cupp went head to head on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” with James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, on the issue of media coverage of Hamas. During a heated discussion, Cupp charged that biased coverage has fostered “a false sense of moral equivalency” between Israel and Hamas. Zogby’s response: “That’s one of… -
opinion
This City Being the Second Most Liberal Doesn’t Bode Well for the Nation’s Future
The second most liberal city isn’t New York, famed for its war on Big Soda. It isn’t Chicago, where President Obama’s former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is mayor. And it isn’t Seattle, where they are gradually hiking the minimum wage to $15 an hour. No, the second most liberal city in the United States… -
opinion
FSOC Appears to Retreat: Too Little Too Late?
The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) has announced that it directed its staff to take more of an activities-based approach to identifying systemic risk in the asset management industry. This could mark a sensible change from the FSOC’s original method of identifying large asset management companies as systemically dangerous, but the statement’s precise implications remain… -
opinion
Salon Is Wrong: This Op-ed on Trans Fat Didn’t Have Errors
When I see a headline accusing an author of writing something that was “error-filled,” well, call me crazy, but I expect to see some errors pointed out. Alas, Salon editor Joanna Rothkopf’s Aug. 4 article failed to identify any bona fide inaccuracies in Ed Feulner’s July 29 Washington Times op-ed on trans fat. She mostly… -
news
Islamist Terror Group Vows in Video to ‘Humiliate’ America
A five-part documentary on VICE News showcases the inner workings of the Islamic State, the violent jihadist group that has conquered large regions of Iraq and Syria and — in the video — promises to “humiliate” America and “raise the flag of Allah in the White House.” In the first part, the filmmaker rides along… -
news
How Nancy Pelosi Helped This Top Democrat Donor Nab Millions in Taxpayer Money
Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer has donated more than $20 million to candidates and outside groups to influence this year’s election, making him the top individual contributor in 2014. And that’s just a fraction of the $50 million Steyer has said he’s willing to spend. The San Francisco-based environmental activist built his fortune through the Farallon… -
opinion
Nuclear Weapons Deserve to Be a Priority
Americans need to start talking about the “N” word. In a provocatively titled article for The Hill, Adam Lowther and Colonel Eric Moore argue that it’s time the U.S. got serious about its nuclear weapons. The authors call for immediate modernization and improvement of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex and weapons systems. Furthermore, the authors… -
opinion
Federal Aid Is Likely Driving College Costs Up
Federal financial aid for higher education was supposed to grow the market, bring down costs and help families afford this critical step to financial security. But a recent report finds the effort to provide educational assistance to students has turned into decades of unaccountable federal spending on higher education. According to the report from the… -
opinion
Detroit: Helping the Poor amid Water Woes
Detroit is facing a “water crisis,” a mess that has erupted since the city filed for bankruptcyprotection last year. Weak enforcement combined with city mismanagement led to bankruptcy, prompting the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to seek a remedy for the $90 million in unpaid bills owed by over half of its 170,000 residents. The… -
news
Arab Bank Accused of Helping Reward Hamas Suicide Bombers in Terrorism Case
Ten years in the making, a landmark terrorism-related case is set to go to trial this week in New York. It has unearthed shocking documentation of the formalized network in which Mideast charities solicited funds to reward the families of Hamas suicide bombers. Interest in the lawsuit is heightened given the current violent outbreak between… -
news
What Would Happen if Watergate Occurred Today? Sharyl Attkisson Weighs In
As the nation observes the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal, Daily Signal senior contributor Sharyl Attkisson weighed in on how the infamous scandal would have played out should it have occurred today. “I think we’ve gone backward since that time when we really felt empowered as journalists, and I like to think…