Jonathan Krohn
(Jonathan Krohn)
We all have episodes from our past that we would rather forget. For some of us, it's a childhood photo or a home video that makes us cringe. For others, it's an opinion quickly abandoned with age and experience. Unfortunately for 17-year-old Jonathan Krohn, the phase he'd like to forget is very well-documented. Krohn burst onto the public stage in 2009, when he gave an impassioned three-minute speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference
At just 13-years-old Krohn was dubbed the Republican party’s "wunderkind," publishing two conservative books, and hobnobbing with conservative stars like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh. Bill Bennett, former policy adviser to President George W. Bush, described Krohn as a "walking refutation of what the mainstream media says we are: pessimistic, old, relics of the past. You want morning in America? That's morning in America right there."
But today, just four years later, Krohn says things have changed. Krohn says he's not a Democrat, but he is for gay-marriage, pro-choice, and would vote for Obama in November — if he was old enough to vote.
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Comments [5]
"“With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations [of immigrants brought here illegally as children] through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed.”
"“America is a nation of laws, which means I, as the president, am obligated to enforce the law. I don’t have a choice about that.”
President Obama
2011
Interesting how a teenager who changes his mind gets more attention from the media than when a President does it in possible violation of the US Constitution.
At least the kid did not take an oath.
When I came of age, I considered myself an independent. I voted for George W. Bush in 2004 because I didn't feel Kerry was consistent. Then I took a turn right after I got my first real job. Later on as I went to college and learned a lot more about the world, I took a turn hard left. I voted for Obama in 08. Since then I have become a European democratic socialist as I approach 30. I think I'll be sticking in this area. Unfortunately, I have never voted for the winner of the state I was in. I don't think it will happen this year either.
This is an obviously intelligent young man who found an ideology which made sense to him in theory. Unfortunately, intelligent theory must be tempered by experience which his youth did not afford him.
I applaud this young man, not because he has moved away from conservative ideology, but for having the courage to incorporate experience into his thinking. Ideologues refer to this as "flip-flopping," but reasonable people call it "mature thought."
Major change of my mind was allowing myself to walk away from the Roman Catholic Church of which I was raised and find my own beliefs were more Eastern in philosophy...more of the moment and feeling good about who I am today...didn't make my folks too happy but they too have fled their beliefs as they have aged and become practicing Episcopalians....so we all are on a path that allows us to evolve if we are open to it....
You found him, the 13 year old who changed his mind.
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