Video: 13-year-old defines conservatism at CPAC, gets standing ovation
posted at 12:00 pm on February 28, 2009 by Allahpundit
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Remember that 12-year-old girl’s stemwinder on abortion? This kid is an order of magnitude beyond even that. So astoundingly precocious is he, in fact, that I’m a little unnerved after watching it. It’s like seeing a newborn baby suddenly start speaking in complete sentences.
If they ever do a remake of “Big” with Tucker Carlson, consider the child’s role cast. Exit question: Krohn in 2040?
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Could we sign him up as Jindal’s speech coach as well as Palin’s big idea guy?
myrenovations on February 28, 2009 at 12:05 PM
outta the mouths of babes…
finally strikes a chord again.
-Wasteland Man.
WastelandMan on February 28, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Stop the search – we finally found the new Reagan. Yea!!
savvydude on February 28, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Wow a 12 year old that is smarter than and as good a speaker as those who currently occupy the White House.
Jamewah on February 28, 2009 at 12:07 PM
If a twelve year old kid, albeit a very intelligent, eloquent and informed kid, “get’s it” but half the country doesn’t, is there any hope? Jonathan, keep up the good work. And if you ever want to visit Boston, where it all started, we’d love to have you and your family. (Must love dogs.)
gopmom on February 28, 2009 at 12:08 PM
wow…that was inspiring…and impressive…he speaks better than Obama.
theguardianii on February 28, 2009 at 12:08 PM
He explained his message 100 times more effectively than John McCain attempted in the debates and stimulus-campaign-break fiasco.
jonkk on February 28, 2009 at 12:08 PM
This kid should run for President in 25 years.
Guardian on February 28, 2009 at 12:08 PM
They’re ripping him to shreds in the comments on YouTube. Not surprising. So tolerant is the Left.
Michael in MI on February 28, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Well I guess hes better than Joe the Plumber….
Speedwagon82 on February 28, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Precocious? Genius is more like it.
Unnerving? Certainly is. Why so many of the “grown ups” who claim to be Conservative don’t get it and this
kidyoung person has it down in spades, is beyond me.And he has all that speechifying stuff done pat, too…
coldwarrior on February 28, 2009 at 12:09 PM
If I was 40 years younger, I’d put a poster of that boy on my wall and one day dream of making a life together with him. Obama has the young people? Give us some more of this kid and, instead of tea parties for his age bracket, start gathering together…where? What’s a good idea to spark gatherings for this age group? Anyway, his parents must be proud.
deedledee on February 28, 2009 at 12:11 PM
BRAVO!
JeffreyLloyd on February 28, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Are any of the speeches playing on cable?
Bambi on February 28, 2009 at 12:12 PM
“done pat, too…”
sheesh…down pat, too…
(Guess I was unnerved by Jonathan after all.)
coldwarrior on February 28, 2009 at 12:12 PM
He should be head of the RNC. Oh wait, he’s got an insurmountable handicap: he’s a white male.
AZCoyote on February 28, 2009 at 12:13 PM
We don’t have time to wait! Kid/Palin ‘12!
And don’t tell me he’s too young. We all know that POTUS eligibility requirements are a thing of the past…
Kensington on February 28, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Also heard this kid on the G. Gordon Liddy show this morning – very well spoken (perhaps more so than many of our elected “conservative” leaders).
dugan on February 28, 2009 at 12:15 PM
awe struck, principlesfirst
stevo on February 28, 2009 at 12:16 PM
When I said on a number of previous threads over the past months that we need to turn the Party over to the younger “kids” I was thinking of the Jindals, Palins, and so forth.
I’ll have to revise my perception of younger “kids” now.
Home schooled? Charter school? Parochial school? Certainly not public school.
coldwarrior on February 28, 2009 at 12:17 PM
that was great on so many levels and I smiled the whole time. Krohn 2040, Yes We Can!
rob verdi on February 28, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Wow…just wow. To bad our “conservative” (cough, cough) political leaders don’t understand conservatism as well as this young man does.
conservnut on February 28, 2009 at 12:19 PM
And I’m off to look for a book written by a twelve year old. I didn’t think I’d be doing that when I woke up this morning.
Rogue Traveler on February 28, 2009 at 12:19 PM
He can’t be home schooled; remember, they are antisocial!
/sarc
deidre on February 28, 2009 at 12:19 PM
BY the way Conservatism as an ideology for the people by defending the people’s rights was outstanding. Compare that to the lefts version of defending the people by making decisions for them. He really was pretty good.
rob verdi on February 28, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Just don’t read the youtube comments… unless you are willing to be saddened by the racist and hateful tone of at least 50% of those posters.
RalphyBoy on February 28, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Trust me, that’s no guarantee anymore. Some of them are filling the kids with as much drivel as the public schools.
Recently the Catholic newspaper of Brooklyn ran a pro-Obama letter from a high school senior, and his reasoning was little more than “Republicans are rich and therefore bad, but Democrats care about poor people and are therefore good.”
He was five years older than young Mr. Krohn.
Kensington on February 28, 2009 at 12:22 PM
13 year old…
Sorry Jonathan.
gopmom on February 28, 2009 at 12:22 PM
The remarks from libs for this kid on YouTube are a perfect example of what we have to fight against. They truly are vile, nauseating people.
Conservative_SAHM on February 28, 2009 at 12:22 PM
This young man has a marvelous intellect and a keen insight into the very foundation of conservatism. He should be writing speeches if he isn’t already.
BackwardsBoy on February 28, 2009 at 12:23 PM
why are there so many assho%$# on the planet. I followed that back to youtube and read the comments. Go ahead take a look and the slime and how they attacked a 12 year old.
rob verdi on February 28, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Un-buh-lievable.
Hey sethstorm, getalife, and all you new Trolls. You guys need to be copying off the young man’s homework. Watch this young man. He will be going places.
kingsjester on February 28, 2009 at 12:23 PM
He’s 12, he’s parroting what he is being taught by his parents but after going through our public schools and colleges long enough when he turns 18 he’ll probably have his girlfriend knocked up and be a stoner.
Kahuna on February 28, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Go watch this on You Tube and rate it because the libs are destroying this poor kid over there. The comments are horrible. One of the milder ones is “I hope you die of cancer.” And I thought libs were supposed to be the party of compassion.
conservativemama on February 28, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Out of the mouths of babes… and this is *exactly* the sort of thing we need to be debating party-wide. Is the GOP the party of conservatism or not? Because the last ten years… not so much.
Laura on February 28, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Simple enough reason: Jonathan Krohn genuinely believes in the conservative principles he so eloquently espouses.
Kent18 on February 28, 2009 at 12:26 PM
I think the speaker inadvertently exposes conservatism’s great weakness as well. It would require an intelligent mind to ponder the principals, and make a judgment. How then can it ever be what comes to people naturally, as feelings do? Conservative principals must be taught, and as a society, we don’t do that. Clearly, they don’t come naturally to most people.
JiangxiDad on February 28, 2009 at 12:27 PM
He should be signed up as a contributer at Hot Air.
DannoJyd on February 28, 2009 at 12:27 PM
And there’s no denying it — thus far, the Left owns the Internet. What loathesome, cretinous vermin. They ruin everything they touch. There’s no good reason that Youtube has to be such a cesspool.
Kensington on February 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Jonathan: “Respect for the Constitution…..”
Mr. Teleprompter: “What’s that…..?”
Seven Percent Solution on February 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Why does it always have to be either/or? It should be and/both…
We don’t need a Reagan. We need all of us to get busy and be able to articulate what we believe.
The Democrat nightmare is made of faceless mobs, not an easy single pinata for them to attack.
Love this kid. Every conservative should aspire to speak this clearly so that it’s not the exception, but the norm.
beatcanvas on February 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM
oh, sorry. Great job Jonathon. It’s a pleasure to make contact with your mind.
JiangxiDad on February 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM
That is one impressive kid.
KelliD on February 28, 2009 at 12:30 PM
The media must destroy the boy.
BadgerHawk on February 28, 2009 at 12:33 PM
kensington,
I was thinking that to. Just pathetic.
rob verdi on February 28, 2009 at 12:33 PM
+10
beatcanvas on February 28, 2009 at 12:34 PM
This boy is an example of exactly the reason that my children are homeschooled. As a former H.S. teacher, I can tell you the public schools are not about education, they are about herding cats. Any education that does go on is completely incidental. Not that the teachers don’t try, but the environment is built upon a very different society than the one the rest of us live in.
The only bastions of education that are left are religious schools and home school. Since I make a modest wage, home school is our only option.
Marine_Bio on February 28, 2009 at 12:35 PM
Much, much better than the anti-abortion girl. It takes a hell of a lot more for a preteen to speak like that in front of a live audience AT ALL. Never mind his brilliantly simple and concise message.
I’d applaud this kid even if his speech had been left-wing in nature. He’s got better public speaking capabilities at 12 than a good many of his elders have.
Dark-Star on February 28, 2009 at 12:36 PM
It’s rumored that his second cousin removed got detention last week. Film at 11.
beatcanvas on February 28, 2009 at 12:36 PM
From the comments:
What a country. God must be weeping.
JiangxiDad on February 28, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Youtube comments?
Marine_Bio on February 28, 2009 at 12:39 PM
He certainly does a better job speaking than Jindal, but he’s just another “conservative” who supports the War on Terror. Nothing new. More of the same. Go back and listen to Bush speak in 2000 – sounded just like this. How’d that work out for us?
popularpeoplesfront on February 28, 2009 at 12:39 PM
sorry, yes.
JiangxiDad on February 28, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Krohn/Piper Palin 240!!
portlandon on February 28, 2009 at 12:39 PM
BadgerHawk on February 28, 2009 at 12:33 PM
EXTRA EXTRA!
Krohn Has Milk Money Lien!
Krohn Tardiness Scandal!
Krohn Commutes on Taxpayer Dime! (School Bus)
Krohn Spends Excessive Time With Young Man! (his best friend)
Kensington on February 28, 2009 at 12:40 PM
2402040portlandon on February 28, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Wow. Left me speechless and grinning.
Do y0u think he’s a “Rush baby”?
garry on February 28, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Holy cow!
AbaddonsReign on February 28, 2009 at 12:43 PM
I will take Mr. Krohn over Joe the Plumber any day of the week.
Political Season on February 28, 2009 at 12:44 PM
I bet that kid loves to party
Equanim1ty found on February 28, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Does he have any tax liens?
Ted Torgerson on February 28, 2009 at 12:45 PM
it isnt about “getting it” per se…there is a significant chunk of this country that truly believes that less government on all fronts is not a virtue. i happen to be one of them (i believe government has a much larger role to play in research and technological development, along with robust regulation. respect for life is another that not everyone in this country sees as a political virtue. it is what it is. i see alot of people scratching their heads at how the whole country isnt die hard conservative. its because there are, in fact, reasonable differences of opinion on a litany of issues.
while this kid is spot on in his statements on conservatism…one need not see those 4 virtues as political virtues 100% of the time.
ernesto on February 28, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Those commentators over at YouTube illustrate exactly what young Jonathan stated in his 2-minute speech; people don’t understand conservatism.
All of those commentators immediately linked it to the Republican Party, rather than grasping that it’s a principle, not an ideology. There can be conservative Democrats, Independents and Republicans, just as there can be liberal Republicans, Independents and Democrats.
Kudos to Jonathan and I truly hope he doesn’t waste his energy reading those vile and vicious comments against him.
yogi41 on February 28, 2009 at 12:48 PM
I know of at least
three,four,five,sixseven,eight, screw it, many Senators that could learn a lot from this young lad…….Seven Percent Solution on February 28, 2009 at 12:49 PM
All that and a bag o chips… and NO TELEPROMPTER
Ugly on February 28, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Where were the kids like this when I was that age…?
All I got was a bunch of ‘Reagan lol hurr’ types who could do nothing but regurgitate msm talking points their parents read to them from the NYT that morning. If questioned they would resort to throwing rocks and/or vandalizing my stuff…*sigh*
DangerHighVoltage on February 28, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Woo Hoo!
Jonathon is one of our very own. I am so proud of him! He is in our homeschool support group of about 100 families here in Atlanta.
Last week we attended a TeenPact session at our Georgia Capital. The group of 60 or so homeschooled 8-12 year olds participated in a mock legislation session to understand how a bill becomes law. The children had each drafted a bill as part of a pre-homework assignment and then went thru first readings, committee assignments, debate, and floor votes. Can I just tell you I was awestruck by the calibur of these young people?!? Not only was the content of their bills noteworthy, the articulation by which they presented themselves was outstanding. I left with a big smile on my face and a glimmer of hope in my heart.
I can assure you that within homeschooling circles there are many Jonathon Krohns just waiting to be discovered.
PrincipledPilgrim on February 28, 2009 at 12:54 PM
yogi41
well said
rob verdi on February 28, 2009 at 12:54 PM
The cool thing about the kid is he’s got the gestures down, as well as the ideas.
How sure are we this isn’t just what Ace looks like when he shaves?
BTW, my kids are home schooled, too.
They just spend seven hours a day getting subsidized day care and playing with their public school friends while I’m at work; then they come home and the true education begins.
Hey, I pay enough in property taxes; I should get some benefit.
notropis on February 28, 2009 at 12:55 PM
All that and a deeper, more masculine voice than Chris Matthews.
whitetop on February 28, 2009 at 12:56 PM
ditto on Krohn/Piper Palin 2040!!!!
davek70 on February 28, 2009 at 12:57 PM
“…conservatism is not an ideology of feelings…it’s an ideology of protecting the people and the people’s rights.”
Bull’s eye
If he’s this good now imagine how good he’ll be at the convention in 2040?
RadioFreeUSA on February 28, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Is really the kind of stuff kids should be spending there time thinking about when there 13.
Equanim1ty found on February 28, 2009 at 12:59 PM
All that and a deeper, more masculine voice than Chris Matthews.
whitetop on February 28, 2009 at 12:56 PM
And more maturity than Olby!
kingsjester on February 28, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Jonathan Krohn will turn fourteen on Sunday according to this CPAC Day 2 interview.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!
heroyalwhyness on February 28, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Any links to homeschooling info/circles? Tks.
JiangxiDad on February 28, 2009 at 1:00 PM
If conservatism is about protecting people’s rights then why do Republicans and/or Conservatives try to portray themselves as people who wish to deny rights to people because of religious beliefs? Banning abortion, embryonic stem sell research (yes I know adult stem cells have proven to be much better), and gay marriage sends a message that instead of letting people live their lives as they please, keeping government FROM screwing things up, we will instead tell them what they can or can not do. If this government is supposed to be “limited” and “protecting the rights of the people” then why are so many conservatives sending a message that if you don’t live by our belief system then prepare to have some of your freedoms taken away. Remember that the first amendment says there will be no law “respecting an establishment of religion”. If conservatives want to get more votes they better change their message from “ban gay marriage, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, work across the aisle and be bipartisan” to “Less government, MORE freedom, MORE individual rights, a strong and powerful military, and National pride”. Mark my words, if conservatives keep embracing the religious right and try to deny people rights that the left welcomes their numbers will continue to shrink and sooner or later you’re not going to have to worry about Republicans or Conservatives because BOTH will be dead for a long time. Who would you rather vote for a party that says you can’t do something or a party that says anything is possible? Things are changing and it’s time to be a party that promotes MORE FREEDOM and LESS government intervention. Republicans/Conservatives look like stupid liars when they say they want less government intervention yet at the same time want to create laws that prevent people from living their lives as they see fit. The kid has it right, but the party doesn’t, and conservatives don’t either. (btw i’m not saying I agree with gay marriage, abortion, or stem cell research but i’d rather vote for a party that says “yes we can” over the one that says “no you can’t”).
dalejrfanfreak on February 28, 2009 at 1:00 PM
dalejrfanfreak on February 28, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Do you speak in huge blocks of text in real life?
My eyes…
Ugly on February 28, 2009 at 1:02 PM
WOW!
…lol,…liberals,..look at your children.
Out hugging tree’s?
christene on February 28, 2009 at 1:03 PM
May I add one thing more?
May I remind you that Jonathon’s example is not an anomaly? I mean, it is in today’s culture but not so in years past. John Quincy Adams was a French ambassador at age 13 and there are other examples of statesmenship at young ages. This is not without precedent at all.
The reason it has become so rare in today’s world is our broken education system. We teach them socialist ideology using socialist methods like T/F, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blanks. This trains children to regurgitate what they are taught, not how to think. They need to read the classics and wrestle with ideas in essays. This is why our young people are so stunted today.
It is baffling to me how many people know the education system is broken and still keep sending their children there? Why?
I hope that Jonathon here has opened your eyes to what is possible of our young people. They will rise to the standards we set for them. Let’s not hold them back! They are our future!
PrincipledPilgrim on February 28, 2009 at 1:04 PM
Jonathon has been in local theater here for many years.
PrincipledPilgrim on February 28, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Actually they havent proven to be much better, just sufficient for the tasks we currently use them for. Regardless, the “conservative” view on stem cells is still precarious seeing as all the research anyone could ever want to do can be done with fertility clinic leftovers…which wind up in the trash regardless of the laws surrounding stem cell research.
And as im sure most people at HotAir will tell you, theres a “traditionalist” bent to conservatism (gotta “conserve” something right?). Conservatives have settled on a view of society that should be protected through government, or at least not “eroded” through government action. I dont subscribe to that view wholeheartedly, but I wont act like I dont know where they are coming from.
If convincing conservatives to drop their paradoxical “social con” wing, this is the wrong place to do it.
ernesto on February 28, 2009 at 1:06 PM
He was certainly impressive, though “impressive” seems far too minimal a word for him — I’d say, then, he was spectacular.
Remarkable when a child is more knowledgeable and certainly more wise than the current President.
Lourdes on February 28, 2009 at 1:07 PM
Nancy Pelosi is sooooooooo lucky
She will never have to debate this kid.
RadioFreeUSA on February 28, 2009 at 1:07 PM
Just general links? Or about groups here in Atlanta?
My first suggested read is “A Thomas Jefferson Education” by DeMille.
PrincipledPilgrim on February 28, 2009 at 1:08 PM
…lol,…liberals,..look at your children.
Out hugging tree’s?
christene on February 28, 2009 at 1:03 PM
What children? Theirs were chopped up and vacuumed out before taking a first breath.
Bishop on February 28, 2009 at 1:10 PM
Im not sure id call T/F and multiple choice socialist…but I will definitely agree that they represent an easy way to get kids to regurgitate rather than think critically.
I was lucky enough to have a religion teacher in freshman year of high school whose tests were all essay. It was a bible study class, so each month or so there’d be a list of passages in the bible we could choose to write about. At the bottom of the page there was one last point, stating, “or a topic of your choice”.
I wrote about ANYTHING…colonialism in africa, religions place in modern society…ANYTHING. when i made a crappy argument I got an F. when i made a good one i got an A (even when i argued that religion had no place in modern society). Thats the kind of education our children are lacking. they need to be taught to play devils advocate CONSTANTLY when speaking with others and always think critically. we need so much more of that.
ernesto on February 28, 2009 at 1:10 PM
I’m sure Daily Kos is already “researching” the tax, criminal, and medical records of him and his entire family. Because we really deserve to know, after all.
Speedwagon82 on February 28, 2009 at 1:14 PM
O/T
Where the heck have you been & what about the dog?
Sorry everyone.
Cindy Munford on February 28, 2009 at 1:15 PM
If you’re looking for a party that says “Yes we can…murder babies,” then go join the Democrats. It’s that simple. They’re the party of Death. Go join them.
Kensington on February 28, 2009 at 1:17 PM
Holy smokes. Great performance; not following some of his points, but… he’s 13. And he’s written a book? Bravo.
Repurblican on February 28, 2009 at 1:17 PM
So as a Conservative I don’t have the right to oppose abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research,or wanting prayer in school?
WHAT????…lolol
So does Hussein approve of “Gay marriage”….NO!
Does Hussein have a track record of “reaching across the aisle”?….N O!
Does Hussein have a voting record of “more freedoms”….NO!
A strong and powerful military?….NO!
Hussein is over-kill in the abortion agenda, ..and your tax dollars will go to prove it.
So that vote for change was nothing more then a vote for socialism.
christene on February 28, 2009 at 1:18 PM
-
Banning abortion is about stopping the murders of innocent babies. I don’t care your religion… murder is murder (except for honor killings in some 13th century cults that is). Stem cell issues to me are about the harvesting process… Again murder comes to mind as a way of reaping embryonic stem cells. Gays can do what they want, but marriage is between a man and a woman because that’s the natural way to make babies. Still not a religious issue, just a fact of nature. The civil union process should be good enough for everyone else, I mean let’s call it Gayarrage, Lezarrage, Polyarrage… Don’t care really. But calling you a woman if your a man does not make it so, and the same is true with marriage.
-
“Yes we can destroy America and the freedoms that many people enjoy here.” As opposed to “No you can’t just take my money and hand it over to any knuckle-head that you decide can spend it better than I can.” Is that what you mean?
RalphyBoy on February 28, 2009 at 1:20 PM
dalejrfanfreak on February 28, 2009 at 1:00 PM
I’ll give this a shot, but please use paragraphs next time.
The issues you mentioned: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research are not issues that conservatives want to control. We first and foremost believe in the power of the individual and believe that individuals can have more of a say on those issues through their respective state governments and NOT the federal government.
It’s you liberals (if I am incorrect in my assumption that you are liberal, I apologize in advance) who want to control these issues by moving them into the realm of federal government, ensuring that the individual will have a tougher say in these matters.
As for embryonic stem-cell research, conservatives reject the notion that the federal government should fund it; if it’s the “sure-thing to cure all diseases” that liberals constantly tout, then private venture capitalists would have already poured money into this venture.
yogi41 on February 28, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Gosh, I thought we were just for “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. We are obviously much more complex then I thought.
Cindy Munford on February 28, 2009 at 1:25 PM
I believe that I may be contracting Krohn’s Syndrome.
thomasaur on February 28, 2009 at 1:29 PM
You have to ask.
cjs1943 on February 28, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Cindy Munford on February 28, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Oh yeah! Jack’s fine.
Vet said it must have been some parasite he picked up (Jack is always eating snow, and who knows what has been *using* the snow). He got a few meds, and was a strict rice/boiled hamburger diet for a few days. It ran it’s course.
Jack say thanks for asking :D
Ugly on February 28, 2009 at 1:30 PM
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