By Kathleen Gilbert
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The latest sensation in American conservatism has just arrived – in an unlikely package.
14-year-old child actor and political prodigy Jonathan Krohn of Duluth, Minnesota, burst onto the political scene last month during the CPAC convention in Washington. In a brief speech extolling conservatism and it core values, the articulate and electrifying young speaker brought his audience to its feet, and the video quickly made the rounds on the Internet. Since then he has appeared on Fox News, CNN, and countless radio shows.
(To see the Youtube video of Krohn’s address to CPAC, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vz1TVpwme0)
“During the election I noticed … there were too many people who threw the term ‘conservative’ around who didn’t understand what they were talking about,” said the pint-sized pundit. “They didn’t understand what conservatism was. They didn’t understand ‘conservative’ as a base of principle, but they understood it as a base of policy.
“Conservatism is not about the party, because the party’s merely the shell. It’s the inside, the filling, that really means something,” he said.
The homeschooled Krohn took the opportunity to pitch “Defining Conservatism,” an 86-page book he wrote over the summer outlining what he called the four basic principles of conservatism: respect for the constitution, respect for life, less government, and personal responsibility. In the book he argues for the sanctity of life from conception, noting that once a child is conceived, the mother does not have the right to kill it.
“It is principle-based. It is the people first, the people’s rights, based upon principled views, and I believe that this is the key to the conservative viewpoint and its effectiveness in America,” said Krohn.
“I want the American people to understand that conservatism is not an ideology of feelings or romanticism, as some people like to say; it is an ideology of protecting the people and the people’s rights.”
Krohn says his interest in politics began at the age of 8, after hearing about a Democratic filibuster on judicial nominations. “I thought, ‘Who goes to work saying, ‘I’m going to filibuster today?’” he said.
Since then, he has eagerly absorbed political news and history – even picking up golf in the hope of playing with his favorite politicians.
Conservative hero Samuel Wurzelbacher, popularly known as “Joe the Plumber,” commented on Krohn’s unique persona after the boy approached him.
“He came up to me, grabbed my hand, and shook it,” said Wurzelbacher. “If I didn’t know any better I would say he was 30 years old. He definitely has a great confidence about him. I enjoyed talking with him…. He’s definitely sharp.”
(To see the Youtube video of Krohn’s address to CPAC, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vz1TVpwme0)