A lot of people consider themselves to be politically conservative. Under that “big tent” that the Republican party loves to talk about, however, are a lot of different flavors. You have neocons and paleocons and fiscal cons and social cons and even crunchy cons—as in, conservative hippies of a sort. Reagan famously said that there was room in the tent for many views; but was he wrong? We hear often that we should “set aside our differences and work together,” but can we? Conservatism used to have a standard platform. We were pro-life, pro-death penalty, anti-illegal immigration. We believed in personal responsibility and American exceptionalism. We loved our military but wanted to end the welfare state.

Things are different now. Some consider themselves “personally pro-life” but are against overturning Roe v. Wade. Others have thrown their support behind gay marriage. Still others are pro-gun control, or pro-amnesty. Where we used to want smaller, more limited government, we now have people calling themselves conservatives while advocating a laundry list of things that they think government should have the authority to control, even going so far as to say that the federal government should tell people who they must do business with. The question is uncomfortable but obvious: Why do these people identify with a label when they don’t agree with what conservatism believes? More importantly, what do they believe?

A lot of ‘conservatives’ claim to be all about the Constitution. Some of them even call themselves Constitutionalists. But it’s not just about the Constitution. It’s deeper than that, bigger and yet simpler than that. It’s about the Declaration of Independence.

Everything we are as Americans, everything we fight for, is wrapped up in a one-page document that dared to say that we are free. More than that, it said we are responsible for ourselves. We stand in “the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle” us. The Constitution did not grant us the rights we hold dear. It merely offers a method for ensuring that our government respect what is inherently ours. The standard we have bled and died for is found in the document that men signed their names to knowing it would cost them everything. It is in simple, clear statements that we find our birthright.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“…to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

“…whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…”

“…when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security…”

“We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.”

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;”

“…with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

There it is. That is American exceptionalism, it is our truth, it is a precious legacy of freedom. It is why whatever you believe, however you vote, must pass that test. That is the standard that every single piece of our government, every piece of our platform should be held to. Do they understand the above statements? Do they adhere to them in word and deed? Are they willing to sacrifice their lives, their fortunes and their sacred Honor to protect them?

Are you?

Does allowing the influx of millions of people who take our jobs, demand our tax money in entitlements, and victimize our people meet the above standard? Does allowing the murder of unborn American countrymen, who may grow up to be scientists, inventors, artists or even laborers fit that standard? And what about any disarmament of the people? Does taking away our final means of defense against a tyrannical government come anywhere near meeting that standard? And to those of you who think that “as long as it’s keeping us safe” that the government should have you under constant surveillance…where do you find that in liberty?

Liberty will only exist as long as there are armed citizens willing to protect it with their lives. Freedom breathes only as long as there remains a people who know where it comes from. Life as you currently know it can only continue to be lived as long as we understand that liberty without morality is chaos. Freedom without accountability is anarchy. True conservativism is not about picking and choosing what you like to believe. It’s not about converting others to believe what we believe, and it’s not about “groupthink.” We have somehow bought into the idea that it’s judgmental to not agree with each other, not to include anyone who wants to claim that they’re a conservative. The truth is, if what you believe doesn’t meet the standard, it’s invalid, and it doesn’t have to be accepted or tolerated. The simple fact is that the standard by which we are all held is already there. What matters is that the core of what we are allowed to do is already written—as is the core of what we must do if we are not allowed to live by it. Either those statements are right, or they are wrong. We cannot say that we believe them but…

I challenge you today: Read through the Declaration of Independence and ask yourself if what you believe and vote for, passes that litmus test. If you hold a position that does not agree with the statements above, then it doesn’t matter what label you apply to yourself: You aren’t right.