Conservative Whiz-Kid Picks Smart Mentor

The lead article in today's New York Times Style section, my Sunday morning reading of choice because of its entre pre-recession into a parallel universe of outrageously priced purses, too chic nightlife, melodramatic tales of love, and snigglingly direct wedding announcements, highlights a precocious political pundit. Atlanta's Jonathan Krohn, age 13, is profiled because of his audacious pursuit of the limelight, after countless calls to radio talk shows, self-publishing a book that purports to express the essence of conservative belief, and a recent piece de resistance speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week in Washington D.C.

Though Jonathan is portrayed as obnoxious and arrogant, his parents appear refreshingly perplexed by their progeny. His mother, Marla, observing her son engrossed in writing to the exclusion of all else, "got tough," according to the boy. "She’d say, ‘If you don’t stop writing now and go outside and get some exercise, I won’t let you finish this book!’” When Jonathan exclaimed over the policies of Barack Obama, his father "buried his face in his hands" and moaned, "Oh, Jonathan!"

The left-leaning Times seems to snicker at this hopelessly un-hip kid in his sweater-vest, but does show him to be up with the latest best-sellers, which clearly form the source of his understanding of politics. In the large photo splashed across the Style Section, prominently displayed, face-front on the shelf immediately behind the prodigy is perhaps the most authoritative book on American history: "The 10 Big Lies About America," by Michael Medved.