Excerpts

In Defining Conservatism, we learn a lot we did not know and we relearn a lot that we had forgotten. This is not necessarily a book diagnosing the problems in the Republican Party; rather, it is a book of politics and philosophy (in it, we get John Locke, Adam Smith, Aristotle, Thomas Jefferson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, C. S. Lewis, Ronald Reagan, and more). Defining Conservatism can be read quickly, but it should be read seriously. And, it should be read by every candidate for public office either wanting to call himself or herself a conservative or wanting to understand what a conservative actually believes, what the conservative basis of ideology is, and where it comes from.

Jonathan starts, helpfully, by boiling down all of conservative thought to four tenets we conservatives can all agree on (or should), regardless of our own brand, our own mold:

1. Respect the Constitution and the rule of law upon which it is based.

2. Respect life as a natural, inherent, and inalienable right for all individuals at all stages.

3. Insist on a government in its most limited format so it does not come into conflict with the individual’s rights and freedoms.

4. Take personal responsibility, and work toward a system of government that makes the individual accountable for all his or her actions.

What conservative can disagree with these starting points? Of course, not all conservatives will agree with all of Jonathan’s prescriptions—none of us fully agrees with any other one of us—but as baselines and analyses go, Defining Conservatism is smart and encourages debate.

Having known Jonathan these formative last several years, having seen him charm and challenge an audience and conduct himself as a gentleman in an interview, I consider it an honor to be asked to write this introduction. And his country should be proud as well, just as he is proud of it and serves it the way he does: as an example, as a teacher, as someone who has—at his very young age—decided to look at serious issues, take them seriously, and, at the same time, draw as much learning and life out of what his country offers as he possibly can. (His parents, too, should be honored for the young man they have raised and are raising.)

About Jonathan Krohn, it will never be said, “He had great potential.” Rather, Jonathan raises the standard of potential in and for others—and makes us all the wiser for learning from him. He is a happy, cheerful, smart, and young conservative. And whatever brand of conservatism any of us is, isn’t that truly the best kind?

This small but smart book is a real accomplishment, and it will raise many serious questions, the kind any country that takes politics seriously should raise. But perhaps the first question it raises is, “Okay, Jonathan, now that your book is finished, what’s next?” You know it will be something. Jonathan: Go to it!

William Bennett