Jonathan Krohn, GOP wunderkind from Duluth, no longer a hardcore conservative
‘I live in Georgia. We’re inundated with conservative talk in Georgia’
- DefiningConservatismBook.com
- Krohn, back in the day
Remember Jonathan Krohn? In 2009, the 13-year-old kid from Duluth made right wingers all hot and bothered after he delivered a rousing speech on the definition of conservatism at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He appeared on Fox News. Karl Rove called him “Mini-me.” He wrote two books. He seemed like a real-life Alex P. Keaton, just younger. And not as much of a smart aleck.
Fast forward to today. Krohn, who’s now prepping for his freshman year at college, says his political views have changed - something that, two years ago, he didn’t really think would happen. He tells Politico’s Patrick Gavin:
“I think it was naive,” Krohn now says of the speech. “It’s a 13-year-old kid saying stuff that he had heard for a long time.... I live in Georgia. We’re inundated with conservative talk in Georgia.... The speech was something that a 13-year-old does. You haven’t formed all your opinions. You’re really defeating yourself if you think you have all of your ideas in your head when you were 12 or 13. It’s impossible. You haven’t done enough.”
Krohn won’t go so far as to say he’s liberal, in part because his move away from conservatism was a move away from ideological boxes in general.
“I want to be Jonathan Krohn,” he said, “and I’m tired of being an ideology, and it’s not fun and it gets boring and it’s not who we are as individuals.”
But a quick rundown of his current political stances suggests a serious pendulum swing away from the right.
Gay marriage? In favor. Obamacare? “It’s a good idea.” Who would he vote for (if he could) in November? “Probably Barack Obama.” His favorite TV shows? “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” His favorite magazine? The New Yorker. And, perhaps telling of all, Krohn is enrolling this fall at a college not exactly known for its conservatism: New York University.
Krohn’s posting on Facebook some of the more oddball Tweets he’s received since the Politico article was published. He’s also jousting with some critics on Twitter. A taste:
@JonathanLKrohn Shame on you! You betrayed God and William Bennett you little bastard
- Kyle belanger (@Pres_Belanger) July 2, 2012
Haters will hate, as the folks at the country club often say. Enjoy New York!