The video of the 13 year old speaking at CPAC is some scary stuff.

[Baikonour]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/27/jonathan-krohn-13-year-ol_n_170642.html

Remember, this kid is 13..

[bluestateguy]

1. A 13 year old has nothing to say worth taking seriously (about politics anyway)

nt

[Baikonour]

3. The RW would disagree.

They're loving this kid.

Which is fine by me. If Jindal, Steele, Palin and a 13 year old kid is what is left of the GOP then I can't complain.

[SpiralHawk]

20. Did the kid talk about the Massive Debt his Republicon elders have left for him?

Because he is going to be paying up the WaZoo throughout his life because of Republiconomics....

[Raineyb]

53. I'm not surprised that the RW would disagree.

Since their philosophy seems to be that of a very selfish child and they like to treat adults like children.

Regards

[rch35]

49. id say a lot of americas 13 year olds are saying the only things worth taking seriously; nt

[vaberella]

63. Such as... ?! Besides the extremely minute few who know which number President Obama is. n/t

[pink-o]

65. Gotta disagree. I was 13 in 1968

...and in my middle school all we ever talked about was politics! That was the year King and RFK were assassinated, the year Eugene McCarthy ran for prez and the kids my age all made signs and went to rallies.

My liberals beliefs were forged in the foundry of that year. I first understood what was going on in Vietnam, and attended my first anti-war rallies that year.

And at age 54, I feel no different about war, politics, presidents or any political issue than I did back then. My beliefs have been modified with life experience, the changing times (I don't think I would have supported gay rights at age 13!) and somewhat accepting the practical over the ideal (although my ideals remain the same--I simply understand they can't all be manifested in a world filled with different opinions.)

All I'm saying is don't dismiss someone because of their age. I was condescended to, given the ageist speech, but I didn't change. Kids have valid viewpoints--whether we agree or not--and this one may have an epiphany or remain a RW'er for the rest of his life.

[depakid]

2. From Georgia no less

:eyes:

[Kalyke]

55. I have a nearly 10 year old son who's a Democrat... and he's from Tennessee, no less.

:eyes:

[Joe the Revelator]

60. Get off your southern stereotyping soapbox

[depakid]

71. Just so happens that I'm a southerner

Born and raised- still make cornbread in a skillet- don't get me started on the difference between cast iron vs. more expensive sorts of ones).

People around the world do like corn bread btw: Because it's good!

I recognize the sort of deal in the OP- because I lived it.

[depakid]

72. Another quik note

Be careful how you express certain things.

Cat Head biscuits (as yummy as they are) might leave you to explain some things that you might not have thought so much about.

[progdonkey]

4. Just goes to show you...

conservatism is easy. You don't have to actually do anything difficult like "knowing" or "proving" anything; you just have to regurgitate the standard beliefs back at the crowd.

It's no surprise he's home-schooled--probably from a very religious fundie family. I think his parents pushed him towards being a political hack rather than a pastor, since that's so 90s.

$100 says at 25 he's discovered with either a live boy or a dead girl.

[TheBigotBasher]

19. I was wondering how many Rethug Senators

had given him their mobile number and msn address.




Some bratty 13 year old has a book on defining Conservatism?

From his mums bedroom has it considered how different the UKs approach to "compassionate Conservatism" was considerably different to that of GW Bush? Or the differences between Thatcher and Reagan, the rise and fall of Friedman within the Conservative movement ?

That he would be happy to see Romney, Palin or Newt lead the Party? Yeah. Go for as many factions as you want kid, you should have added Ron Paul.

LOL @ the Rethug Party.

Not Joe the Not the Plumber, who is also NOT an entrepreneur, and a little kid.

See you in 16+ yea

[dbmk]

5. Well..

That was certainly the conservative version of astrology.

[mediaman007]

6. He's got a way to go. He used a lot of words to say nothing.

If people have rights, women could make decisions with their doctors without interference. If people have rights, we would have people locked up in Cuba without due process, we wouldn't have our phone lines tapped.

Once he becomes a hypocrite, he'll fit right in with the others.

[PatSeg]

10. "He used a lot of words to say nothing"

In another words - a republican!

[PretzelWarrior]

7. well you know....William F. Buckley has died. so.....

gotta find a new person. His son certainly doesn't fit the bill so they disavow him. David Brooks is too "Georgetown" or whatever so they disavow him. George Will is hanging on by a thread.

So you got Jindal, Palin, Joetheplumber, the 13 year old..... well, quite a few intellectual luminaries there.

[fasttense]

8. He was on Thom Hartmann's show. He gave me the creeps.

He kept ridiculing Thom Hartmann's ideas and got all defensive over any question.

He certainly had every wing-nut talking point down pat. He reminds me of one of those spoiled rich kids who actually believes adults want to hear his 13 year old opinions on the meaning of life.

[DangerousRhythm]

41. Oh god. When was he on?

I can probably still download it and now I'm veeeerry curious. :scared:

[JSK]

43. I think it was the first day of CPAC

Wednesday?

[ccharles000]

50. here it is

http://airamerica.com/content/thom-hartmann-debates-13yr-old-cpac

[DangerousRhythm]

58. Thank you!!

:toast:

[PatSeg]

9. That was freaky

Reminds of those child ministers who mimic the adult televangelists, very creepy.

[Window]

74. I found it really weird listening to him and watching his facial expressions

and hand movements. It reminded me of the commercials with babies or little kids speaking with adult voices about the stock market, etc. Also, he looked younger than 13 to me.

Indeed, very creepy.

Peace:thumbsup:

[54anickel]

11. Well, he certainly calls BS on Bush's "compassionate conservative" - General

welfare of society be damned! Sounds like he feels they need to go back to being conservative, uncaring pricks - like Reagan...that's the ticket! Hey Jonathan, he was an actor too - just like you!!!

This "kid" fits Clinton's description of compassionate conservatism, "I want to help you. I really do. But you know, I just can't." He definitely has no use for the likes of Doug Wead and wants to take his party back from such bleed-hearts....like it was ever really lost to them. :eyes: Hey kid, that was all nothing but smoke and mirrors - another marketing tool picked up by Rove. Your "conservative banner" is still well in tact.

snip>

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."

He now has his own wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Krohn
Sounds like he could be "going places". Look out Kirk Cameron!

[AllentownJake]

14. The poor kid is home schooled

His parents control every aspect of his life most likely. He's doing this shit for their approval.

One thing about children...they always tend to rebel.

[zulchzulu]

33. This kid is going to be the next Sam Kinison

Kinison had a very protective and controlling parental influence. He was a preacher at this kid's age. I can see how he'll rebel once he figures out a thing or two. This media attention will be his parent's worst nightmare.

[EraOfResponsibility]

34. I didn't know that about Kinison

didn't he turn out to be a total athiest towards the end of his life?

[zulchzulu]

39. Yep, Sam was a child Pentecostal preacher

I saw him a couple times and every now and then, he would mention his childhood in his inimitable style:

Born in Yakima, Washington, Kinison was the son of a Pentecostal preacher. His father pastored several churches around the country, receiving little income. Sam later attended high school in East Peoria, Illinois. He also lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a while with his parents. He followed in his father's footsteps as a Pentecostal preacher before becoming a comedian. Recordings of his sermons reveal that he used a "fire and brimstone" style, punctuated with shouts similar to the ones he would later use in his stand-up routines. He attended Pinecrest Bible Training Center in Salisbury Center, New York<1>. He was forced to leave preaching when he divorced his first wife, at which time he took up comedy as a profession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kinison

[AllentownJake]

12. When I was 13, I was a conservative

Because my father was. My father listened to Rush and G. Gordon Liddy so I listened to Rush and G. Gordon Liddy when I was being driven in the car. I was also pro-choice because my mother told me until I can get pregnant I was to shut my damn mouth about that issue.

A 13 year old has no life experience to formulate a political opinion. You really can't formulate a political opinion to you actually start working and are not dependent on your parents for your needs.

I'm a liberal because of my life experiences. I spent 5 years in financial services, I know those guys are crooks and need to be regulated. I'm an auditor, I know business isn't really that much more efficient as government. I have had someone I love chose not to get healthcare because they were worried about the cost, I know people who have served in the Iraq war and I know people who died there. I've had a condom break one or two times when I wasn't ready to have kids (no one got pregnant but I've been scared shitless). I have an adult brother who mentally retarded and depends on the state for his group home.

We'll see how that kid is in 8 years if he leaves his parents and goes to college.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. When I was thirteen

When I was thirteen my heroes were the martyred Kennedy brothers, Dr. King, and Muhammad Ali.

More than thirty years later they still are.

I think for many but not for all one's world view is developed at a very early age and they they look for events and information to confirm ir.

[AllentownJake]

17. I had a conversion 6 years ago

My heroes growing up was Green Lantern and Batman, I was a comic book dork :-)

Some people are born with their idealogy some people change.

Remember old Norm Coleman was a big time liberal activist in the 60s and Hillary was a Goldwater girl

[DangerousRhythm]

42. Exactly.

And yeah, I'm thinking he'll possibly get a wider view of things when he goes to college, unless of course he decides to go to someplace like Liberty College. D:

[sandnsea]

66. I was not a racist at 13

my father was.

I would hope a 13 year old has at least one or two ideas of their own. It certainly doesn't take having your own income to have your own mind.

[shirlden]

13. What kind of mother

allows her 8 year old to listen to Bill Bennett??? Just another case of poor parenting here........


:eyes:

[midnight]

15. People don't understand what Conservatism is?

The Republican party is being told that conservatism is about the inside/filling and not the shell. The inside should be based on four categories of principals:less govt., personal responsibility, respect for constitution, respect for life. Something makes me think this child has no idea about what the Patriot Act is and how that took away our rights away.

[dcindian]

18. conservatism is dead.

And has been dead for a good long time. This prevision that is the republican party is Talibanism just pure and simple hate driven politics.

[Monk06]

21. Fucking little nazi robot. You can bet there is a rich, politically connected Rethug family

promoting this conceited little prick.

[FudaFuda]

38. Do we need to call a 13 year old a prick?

It's already been said here, but you can't really blame this kid at this age for spewing forth the messge he's been brought up on. I grew up in a very fundamentalist "Church of Christ" home, and grew out of that mindset when I gained my independence. This kid's got a lot of living to do yet, and its a bit premature to be judging. Let him grow up, go to college, hit the books and the bong ... and we'll see where his head is in about 15 years. If he hasn't changed, then yeah he's a prick.

[Monk06]

46. It's going to be pretty difficult for this kid to overcome the mean self righteous conceit

that shines with his every word and
sanctimonious smirk with which his
words are delivered. This kid is
cruel and to my mind well on his way
to becoming a full blown narcissistic
sociopath.

Maybe I'm wrong and he'll turn out like
MarJoe Gortner but I doubt it.

[progdonkey]

47. it's not just what he says but the way he says it...

Hearing a 13-year-old say stupid, uninformed stuff is nothing new nor anything to get worked up about, but he says it with such glee and such sanctimony. Did you listen to the audio interview on the page?

He is a prick, an ass, a twit, whatever. He has no respect for education, competence, facts, etc., and is just your typical little shit who's mommy (and then moronic and/or desperate ideologues) keeps telling him how smart he is. He's good at talking--I'll give him that--but let's see him actually analyze a political issue past the superficial "conservatism rules because it makes America strong" bullshit.

Does that mean he'll always be a prick? No; a person can certainly change with age, and I hope he does. But right now he is absolutely a worthless, molly-coddled, uneducated little shit.

[AlinPA]

22. He acts like a nazi youth "soldier". All memorized stuff.

[sledgehammer]

23. My favorite line...

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."

Could we have asked for more entertainment??? With a divided leadership, infighting, clowns as representatives, completely shunning bipartisanship, and no political clout, this party is driving itself into complete irrelevance.

I am thoroughly enjoying it!

[MattBaggins]

54. Joe found him to be that sharp?

Well given that Joe is about as sharp as a box of rocks; his being impressed with this kid comes as no surprise.

[NikolaC]

24. I Really Feel

sorry for this kid because I don't think that he ever really had a chance given the way that he was raised. He seems like an intelligent child, so sad. Very Damien Thornish. I really hope that he grows out of his brain washing.

[Doremus]

25. Impressionable minds + talk radio = OMFG

I can't help but wonder how this child's views might differ if he had had the opportunity to listen to liberal principles along with the RW propaganda that literally IS talk radio.

He is a living testament to the desperate need for the Fairness Doctrine.

"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."

[mitchum]

26. Limbaugh's #1 catamite

[TahitiNut]

27. He'll "discover" a more promising career path in televangelism, Bank on it.

That kid is the inheritor of the Roberts/Swaggert/Falwell/Robertson seeding of Amerika.

[Numba6]

28. Kids do the darndest things!

Especially when they're being poisoned from the crib on up!

[gauguin57]

29. He seems like a bright, confident kid ... we just need to lure him back from the dark side.

Who knows ... after he goes to college, learns some stuff and gets his head out of his butt, he may smack his head and say, "Jesus! What was I THINKING!?" ... but the YouTube will last forever!

[mzteris]

59. that's my take -

the fact people are bashing him is only because he's a conservative. If he were liberal, they'd be praising him and talking about how incredible it was that a 13 yo could be that "smart" . . . like we've always done with AVA here on DU. How old was she when she got into the National limelight?

Oh and guess what - she's homeschooled, too.

[Maru Kitteh]

67. He seems like a pompous, presumptuous little shit with poor socialization.

That was my take.

[PfcHammer]

30. That kid is gonna be pissed when he figures out what was

done to him.

[Hamlette]

31. Palin, Joe the Plumber, Jindal, Steele, and now a 13 year old? The GOP is bankrupt.

it is all parlor tricks to them. Their message is so revolting to 95% of Americans they have to hide behind mascots.

This does seem like the natural progression for a party that wanted to elect Palin to possibly be prez. Buy her $200K worth of clothes, style her hair all pretty, give her a teleprompter with a "red meat for the crazies" speech and you have a candidate.

[zulchzulu]

32. So "protecting the people's rights" is a conservative idea?

Sounds like Junior has been listening to his dad too much. Unless you were under a rock the last 8 years, you saw how conservatism was all about taking people's rights away. I'd love to see this kid in a debate with someone on the "liberal" side. He'd be run over like a mosquito on a grille.

[Political Tiger]

35. That poor child needs to be deprogrammed quick!

He's only repeating what his masters have drilled into his impressionable head ... I heard nothing from him that I haven't heard a thousand times by any other Reich-winger.

[merh]

36. He can't be a conservative

He is trying to get on broadway, only liberals are involved in the arts.

Just like the right, finding the answers in the words of a 13 year old.

[patrick t. cakes]

37. hopefully college will opens his eyes

or his first kiss.

[JSK]

44. Which college?

Bob Jones University? Regent University?

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

And if he attends either of those, the first kiss won't come til his wedding night.

[PfcHammer]

56. Or his first beatdown by a big, righteous dem

[Pool Hall Ace]

40. He will be no less annoying

when his gonads drop.

[mix]

45. republicans love this shit

a child who parrots back what "adults" say, it's their ideal citizen

[Jeneral]

48. Democrats vs Republicans

Democrats provide people with strong education backgrounds and strong experience Republicans provide these youngsters and Palin.....

What a wonderful world of American Politics.

[Raine]

51. It sad to see such a young kid brainwashed

but I'm curious to see how he'll be in 10, 15, 20 years could be a total turnaround.

[Blue_Tires]

52. not scary...just mildly humorous

I believe in the philosophy of my parents and their parents before them: Until he starts doing real work for a living and supporting himself, he can't tell any adult shit about the way society works...

[alwysdrunk]

57. Not scary to me, I was something like that at 13

Not conservative though, but basically black nationalist. His Bill Bennett was my Chuck D. Also has other influences in the Africa leather medallion days. Everyone grows. Different life experiences give you you different ideas and distincitons over time. Kid seems pretty smart, I bet 10 years from now he'll be a totally different person.

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

61. Scary 13 year olds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUwpLyIDIJw

[Thickasabrick]

62. Listening to Bill Bennett at 8 years of age? That's not child abuse?

[sampsonblk]

64. Rush Limbaugh impersonator, that's what he is

Its also child abuse, if you ask me.

Who allowed this kid to listen to talk radio? Thats the one who should be charged first.

[goodgd_yall]

68. Hopefully, he'll change his erring ways as he gets older

I don't know if he's really a bright kid, or just doing a good impersonation of his hero, Bill Bennett.

[MrMickeysMom]

69. Pretty interesting to watch... this kid's got a future-

on stage. Good little actor with body awareness. I'm not too impressed with his parents, based on the guess that they're cuing him up for God knows what reason.

He might even be precocious, but I don't think he bases anything on more than 13 year old understanding.

I'm guessing he'll go through the next stage, where he figures out that conservatives are everywhere, but the idiots in the back drop are having too hard a time tying their shoe laces.

[Deja Q]

70. Wow. Given peoples' vitriol against teacher unions (hi Steve!), it's amazing that one knows how to

speak.

[Norrin Radd]

73. Typical, vapid, repub dork. Let me guess...

he'll be too busy to join the military when he is of age.

[tomg]

75. The entire Republican party reminds

me of a down-on-its luck, on-the-way-out carny show. "Joe the Plumber," "Jonathan the Amazing 13-year-old Conservative." This is a political and intellectual geek show.

[Orsino]

76. When you need a 13-year-old to defend your party's failures...

...it's well past time to admit to them.