Jonathan Krohn: 13-Year-Old Conservative Wunderkind Wows CPAC, Joe The Plumber

The future of the conservative movement presented himself on Friday, and he was 13.

Jonathan Krohn, the author of "Define Conservatism" and political prodigy voted "Atlanta's Most Talented Child" in 2006, was the talk of the Conservative Political Action Conference for a brief portion of the afternoon session.

His two-minute address on "Conservative Victories Across the Nation" covered the lost principles of the Republican Party, which he called the "shell" to conservatism's "filling." It was filled with the type of rhetorical flow and emotional pitch one would expect from a seasoned hand. Except, Korn is more than four years away from being able to vote.

Certainly, it was enough to win him a whole host of plaudits, from his co-panelists to the big-name attendees. "Watch out David Keene," said Millie Hallow, the moderator of the panel, in reference to the conservative luminary who heads CPAC.

"He came up to me, grabbed my hand, and shook it," said Joe the Plumber. "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."

How, exactly, a 13-year-old (Krohn turns 14 on Sunday) got to this place is story of an intense, downright obsessive, interest in politics. Sitting at a table and signing copies his books -- his red tie flopping on top of the white tablecloth, a flag pin pinched to his sports coat -- he assigns credit for his fast ascension to none other than Bill Bennett.

"I got into politics when I was eight years old. Six years now. And I got involved because I started listening to talk radio. It goes back to one event. The Democrats filibustered something in the Senate when I was eight years old. I don't remember what it was on and I didn't honestly care when I was eight years old. I cared about the history and the Senate rules," he told the Huffington Post. "I listened to Bill Bennett and tons of other talk show hosts who talked about that and other policies and started branching out and caring about other issues in regards to politics. Bill Bennett really became an idol for me. I listened to him every morning from 6 to 9 for, oh, years. And I started learning more and started to be able to think on my own, understanding politics on my own. I started to be able to use my mind to engage in political conversations under the conservative banner."

The topic on his mind - or at least mine - is how the Republican Party can resurrect itself. "Conservatism, conservatism, conservatism..." he replies. Whether these are talking points, I'm not sure. Either way, he has them down. "A lot of people say to me, 'oh, you're a Republican.' And I say, 'No, I'm a conservative.' I'm a Republican when I support candidates. When I talk about the party I'm affiliated with I'm a Republican. But when it comes to what I am, I'm a conservative."

It was, Krohn says, an abandonment of philosophy that brought the GOP to its current state; on issues from immigration reform to bailouts. "I think they started losing it because the American people saw the American party wasn't really based on conservatism," he says.

And it will only be when Republicans return to their core conservative beliefs that electoral power will be reassumed. It's an idea the majority of CPAC participants ardently believe. But he's the only 13-year-old waxing philosophically about them.

As for his choices for president, Krohn talks, once more, like a seasoned vet. "I would love to see Newt Gingrich," he said. "But it's impossible to see him up there. I don't see him doing it. I would love Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney as well."

Cornyn Preaches Moderation, Then DeMint Calls Obama "World's Best Salesman Of Socialism"
CPAC Day 2
February 27, 2009

Speaking before a red-meat conservative audience in Washington D.C., National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Cornyn did something a bit rare, he pleaded for political moderation in the party's efforts to regain control of the Senate.

"I would rather have a Republican who votes with me 80 percent of the time than a liberal Democrat who would vote with me 0 percent of the time," said the Texas Republican. "I understand that occasionally we get frustrated by the way that some of my colleagues vote, I do too. But a circular firing squad is no solution to the problems our party faces right now."

It was one of the few times that the audience had been asked to put aside their ideological orthodoxy in exchange for electoral leverage. Indeed, the vast majority of speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference had enthusiastically rejected the notion that the Republican Party needed a re-thinking of its philosophical pillars. What was needed, they offered, was firmer, more passionate and aggressive opposition to the Democratic powers that be. As if on cue, the very next speaker to address the crowd, Sen. Jim DeMint, laced into congressional leadership -- accusing it of a lack of willingness to say the word "freedom" -- and the president himself, calling Barack Obama "the world's best salesman of socialism."

Cornyn, for sure, didn't tone down the sharp critiques of his political opposition. But his was a numbers game. "Having 41 [Republican Senators] means that we have leverage to block bad legislation or more importantly to shape it. And to bring Democrats to the negotiating table," he said. "Our mission is clear: we must win most republican seats. We must build a new majority."

As for the 2010 elections -- which seem, at this moment, to offer Democrats a good chance to expand their majority -- Cornyn called the landscape "promising."

"We have to hold," he said, open seats in Ohio, Missouri and Florida. While there was a chance for the GOP to pick up seats in New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, "and yes, even California."