Ever since I launched my campaign for president, I’ve argued that the election before us is a choice between the past and the future. Tonight, we’ll get to see exactly what the past looks like by tuning into the Democratic presidential debate. There we will see five candidates who call themselves “progressive,” yet who advocate policies that stand directly in the way of our nation’s progress.

We will see outdated politicians who believe new economic innovations should be stifled by more regulation. For example, they believe companies in the on-demand economy, such as Uber and Airbnb, are a threat rather than an opportunity. They believe a revolutionary technology like hydraulic fracturing, which has unleashed American energy and created thousands of jobs, is a risky practice that must be stopped. They believe the Internet needs more government oversight in the form of net neutrality.

We will see a group of 20th century politicians who believe the way to fix our outdated institutions is to pump more money into them rather than reform them. They believe we can spend more on the higher education system of the 1950s without updating it for a new century. They believe we can lean on retirement programs from the 1930s without saving them for future generations. They believe expanding the safety net programs of the 1960s will be enough to help the struggling escape their circumstances.

And the sad irony is, while they consider outdated ideas of the past to be progressive, they consider timeless ideas of the past to be regressive. They believe the dignity of life at all stages to be an old-fashioned concept that America should have moved on from by now. They believe conservatives are outdated for spending so much time resisting the erosion of religious liberty. They believe the way of the future is for Washington to compete with marriage and family life rather than to encourage or protect it.

I believe the opposite of these things. I believe the challenges our people face today have erupted out of Washington’s refusal to adapt to the realities of the 21st century. I believe Washington is broken and both parties are to blame. Our entire political establishment is out of touch with our people, which has left a massive disconnect between our government and our lives.

I believe this new era requires new leaders with fresh ideas — still rooted in the principles of free enterprise, limited government and individual responsibility, but adjusted to meet the new challenges of a new day. My ideas are built on a foundation of basic truth about America: That government exists to empower its people, not itself; that family is the most important institution in society; and that our free enterprise economy is the greatest generator of opportunity and prosperity in human history.

I believe extraordinary opportunities lie ahead in the 21st century, and that America is better equipped to seize them than any other nation. The new economy is all about innovation, creativity, and productivity — and we are the most innovative, creative, and productive people on the planet. But first we must do what every generation before us has done. We must meet the challenges of our time.

That’s why the theme I’ve chosen for my campaign is “the New American Century.” For me, this isn’t just a slogan or a bumper sticker; it’s a description of the stakes of this election. I am running for president because I want to extend the American Dream my family has lived to every family in America, and I believe the only way to do so is to embrace the promise of the 21st century. Unfortunately, on stage tonight at the Democratic debate, you will see politicians who believe the opposite: that we can win the race for the future by driving in reverse.