I hold two bedrock beliefs.

First and foremost, I believe in responsibility. I believe in personal responsibility, and in mutual responsibility. I think we all have to be accountable for our individual actions, and that as a society we must be accountable to each other and look out for each other.

What does that mean in practice? On the economy, it means I think everyone who is able should work and make a contribution. Everyone deserves certain basic things – like affordable health care and a living wage. No one should live in poverty in the richest country in the world. On education, responsibility means we should expect our young people to work hard to improve and prepare themselves – and in turn, we should be ready to provide the help they need to do so, such as an affordable college education.

Secondly, I believe in freedom. Freedom is what this country is all about. Our system of free enterprise is a major way that Americans pursue freedom, and we need to strengthen that system — by helping small business; by keeping and creating good jobs here at home, by lowering healthcare costs.

But freedom is not just about getting rich. Freedom is also about living as we please and being who we are. It’s about understanding that America is a diverse place and people have different ways of living and different ways of worshipping. We need to respect and value these differences, for they are at the core of our very being as a nation.