A young conservative grows up


Jonathan Krohn was a conservative sensation when, in 2009 at the tender age of 13, he published a book Defining Conservatism and also spoke at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). It was all rather harmless, though it was a little odd to see old politicians scrambling to associate themselves with a child’s view of politics and pronounce him the face of the next generation of conservatism.

But three years later and on the verge of going to college, Krohn’s views have changed. He now thinks that what he was saying then was just regurgitating the ‘ideological blather’ of the Georgia community he grew up in. Now he is in favor of same sex marriage, thinks that the Affordable Health Care Act is a good thing, his favorite TV shows are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and his favorite magazine is the New Yorker.

Again, this is not a big deal. Just as precocious 13-years are not that uncommon, neither is the fact that young people’s views change as they grow up.

What is deplorable is that his erstwhile conservative fans have viciously turned on him like they were spurned lovers, accusing him of dark motives and monstrous betrayals.

Just let it go, folks, and let Krohn go his own way. Krohn was not the Thomas Jefferson of conservatism then and he is not its Benedict Arnold now. He is just a teenager growing up.

Find a new child to be the face of your future. Rick Santorum has a house full of children and I am sure that at least one of them might serve the purpose.

Comments

  1. machintelligence says

    B b b b but, HE’S GUILTY OF APOSTASY! Once you are a conservative, you can’t change your mind.

  2. Alverant says

    As glad as I am that he’s grown up and learned a bit of empathy, I have to wonder if the situation were reversed would WE be any better. What happens when a liberal gets older and becomes conservative? How do we react when we find out someone who was for something like equal-marriage is now against it?

    Don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but if we’re going to be better than the conservatives, we have to ACT better than the conservatives.

  3. Kels says

    Aside from his admirable aplomb, that’s one urbane kid. I’ve known very few people with that sort of bearing at such a young age.

  4. slc1 says

    We could also mention Leo Behe, atheist son of IDiot Biology Professor at Lehigh University, Michael Behe and gay Issac Katz, son of gay bashing Jonathan Katz, who is a colleague of Prof. Singham’s being a Professor of Physics at Washington University of St. Louis.

  5. dukeofomnium says

    Obviously he wasn’t a True Conservative. Once a wingnut, always a wingnut.

  6. Jager2 says

    Wouldn’t you have to find an example first? 😛

    In all seriousness, though, lot’s of the counter-culture hippy-types from the 60’s and 70’s got more and more jaded (and conservative) and they got older. As far as I’m aware, no one really held that against them. Could be mistaken, though.

  7. machintelligence says

    If you haven’t seen the movie MARJOE, I highly recommend it.
    youtube.com/watch?v=CuX7OUrxWNA&feature=related
    I can’t get a link to post,but the youtube address is above. It is an 88 minute movie, but well worth the time.

  8. F says

    Those who essentially stayed hippies (i.e., a lot that were core hippies and not on a popular subculture bandwagon) seem to take issue with those doing a 180.

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