The State of Freedom Conservatism

This is an edited version of a speech delivered at the Freedom Conservatism Conference on May 20, 2026.

Hope for America

At a White House press conference in May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked, “What’s your hope for America at a time such as this?” Rubio responded:

My hope for America is what it’s always been. I think it’s the hope I hope we all share. We want it to continue to be the place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything, where you’re not limited by the circumstances of your birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity, but frankly, it’s a place where you’re able to overcome challenges and achieve your full potential.

He continued:

I think that should be the goal of every country in the world, frankly, but I think in the U.S. – we’re not perfect. Our history is not one of perfection, but it’s still better than anybody else’s history … It is a unique and exceptional country, and as we come upon this 250-year anniversary I think we have a lot to learn and be proud of in our history. It is one of perpetual and continuous improvement, where each generation has done its part to bring us closer to fulfilling the vision that the founders of this country had.

Rubio’s clip went viral, not only because he expressed himself so eloquently and extemporaneously and sincerely, but because it has been a while since someone so politically prominent expressed this classic American aspiration so well.

Jack Kemp, the star quarterback of the Buffalo Bills who became a congressman and vice-presidential candidate in the 1990s, called it the American Idea:

The Declaration of Independence applies to every individual; everyone should have the opportunity to rise as high as their talents and efforts can carry them; and while people move ahead, we should endeavor to leave no one behind.

Our ideological competitors on the left and right think such sentiments are quaint and passé. They say there’s no point in working hard, that your life’s outcomes will be determined only by your race and your circumstances, and that the only thing that’s left to do is fight over the spoils.

In the 2010s, the rise of these supposedly “postliberal” ideologies was disorienting to many of us. The self-styled postliberals declared the death of the American idea, and even argued that the very concept of an American idea was a lie – that America was founded like any other country, just a collection of people who shared the same blood and soil.

The Freedom Conservatism project

A few years ago, it became clear that it was long past time for us to stop putting up with this nonsense. And that’s why, in 2023, a group of us launched the Freedom Conservatism project, and why we’re gathered here today.

A wise man once observed that freedom isn’t passed down to our children in the bloodstream. It has to be fought for, protected, and handed off for the next generation to do the same.

After America defeated the Soviet Union, I think people in my generation – Generation X – neglected that important work. We took it for granted – because the evidence was all around us! – that freedom works; that freedom creates abundance, prosperity, and happiness.

But we didn’t do enough of the work necessary to present that evidence to rising generations, nor did we do enough to show how more freedom can help Americans overcome the economic and personal challenges they face today. 

The Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles, and the Freedom Conservatism annual conference, are parts of our effort to change that.

Statement of Principles

Our Statement of Principles – with over 350 signatories – represents an incredible array of individuals and institutions all over America. We say in the statement that

To ensure America’s best days are ahead, we must apply the timeless principles of liberty to the challenges of the 21^st century.

The statement – and this conference – are not mere regurgitations of historic clichés, nor simply exegeses of founding American documents.

We make, in the Statement of Principles, three commitments:

First:

We commit to reducing the cost of living through competitive markets, greater individual choice, and free trade with free people, while upholding the rule of law, property rights, freedom of contract, and freedom of association.

Second:

We commit to building a constructive reform agenda that can restore America’s fiscal sustainability, ensuring that future generations inherit a more prosperous and secure nation than the one we now inhabit.

Third:

We commit to expanding opportunity for those who face challenges due to past government restrictions on individual and economic freedom.

I bring up these commitments because they’re directly related to what we want Freedom Conservatism to achieve.

Please think about what you can do to further advance the three commitments I listed above: our commitments to reduce the cost of living, to restore America’s fiscal sustainability, and to expand opportunity through freedom.

Why?

Because that’s how we win.

Freedom Conservatism benefits everyone

The entire business model of our postliberal compatriots on either side of the aisle is to exclude a giant chunk of Americans from our shared enterprise. They don’t believe it’s possible for all of us to achieve great things together; instead, they believe in “rewarding their friends and punishing their enemies.”

We win by showing – and, ultimately, proving – that all Americans benefit from our values and our policies, even the ones who disagree with us, don’t look like us, don’t talk like us, or don’t vote like us.

Poll after poll shows that this is what most Americans yearn for, both in our culture and in our political leaders. It’s what my faith teaches me to do, and yours too I suspect.

Our time is coming once again. And it’s time today to prepare for the victory that’s coming very soon, for the values that have made America great in the past and will make America great again in the future.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.