News / Politics
A Conservative Kid Grows Up
By: Chris O'Shea
Kids, even child prodigies, aren't that bright. The main reason is that they don't have experience with, you know, life. They have opinions and — especially teenagers — think that they know everything, but they simply don't. Think about how stupid you were as a kid: You acted like an idiot and thought Brussels sprouts were gross. But as you aged, you encountered different situations and people that changed you for the better. One person who is finding this all out under the public eye is Jonathan Krohn, the GOP wonder boy of just a few years ago.
Krohn definitely falls under the child prodigy category. The kid was published at age nine and at the tender age of 13, he was blasted into conservative superstardom when he delivered a passionate speech at CPAC, which stands for Conservative Political Action Conference and is an annual get together of all the pretty much anyone who is anyone in the American political right. The speech was ridiculous, but it was a hit among the conservatives. You can check it out below. One CPAC attendee likened him to a young Ronald Reagan; another said he would lead the party in the future. His star power continued to rise with Republicans, and he wrote a book which the likes of Newt Gingrich praised. But somewhere along the way, something odd happened to Krohn: He lived life and change his opinion on some stuff. Shocking, we know.
Krohn now admits that he really had no idea what he was talking about during his CPAC speech. This is because, like all young people, they just don't know everything they think they do. "What does a kid who has never paid a tax bring to the table in a conversation about the burden of taxes?" Krohn writes in a Salon op-ed that was published on Sunday. "What does a healthy child know about people who can’t afford healthcare because of preexisting conditions? No matter how intelligent a person might be, certain political issues require life experience; they’re much more complicated than the black and white frames imposed by partisan America."
Krohn now supports gay marriage and said that he would likely be voting for Barack Obama in the upcoming election. Naturally, his evolution has upset conservatives. The Daily Caller has published three pieces about him and of course, Krohn's parents weren't "overjoyed." But what can you expect from people getting so excited about what a 13 year old said?
Sure, conservatives might be upset and his parents might be disappointed, but they shouldn't be. Krohn simply changed because of life. And being only 17 now, we can all expect him to change even more.
[Pic via Screengrab of Jonathan Krohn's CPAC Speech]