I knew I had to watch the viral video of 13-year-old conservative (activist? speaker? baby-winger?) Coreco JaQuan Pearson. But I had to stop and start a few times to get through it.
The tone so mismatched the pleasant-looking kid it was coming from that I was nonplussed. It was like watching the 2007 video sensation "Chocolate Rain" again for the first time. It had the same kind of weird.
But with a lot more ick.
Two years ago, the Georgia teen, who has built a social media following, was featured on Fox News after defending former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani when he said the president doesn't love America.
His bio says that at age 8, he was inspired by the presidential campaign of John McCain. USA Today called him a "conservative whiz kid," citing his campaign work for now-Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., and his attempts to lower Georgia's age restrictions for holding public office.
Pearson, who is African American, says his aspiration is to speak at next year's GOP convention. His long-term goal is to seek the Oval Office himself, but he currently supports Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., for president and is national chairman of Teens for Ted.
"I pull no punches," Pearson responded in an email inquiring about the strident tone of his recent video criticizing President Barack Obama for inviting a 14-year-old Muslim student from Texas to the White House. The student, Ahmed Mohamed, was wrongly arrested after the clock he'd built was thought to be a bomb. Pearson also inveighs against Obama's response to the killing of a San Francisco woman, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant, among several other criticisms.
"When cops are being gunned down, you don't invite their family to the White House," Pearson sneers. "You never did."
But "when a Muslim kid builds a clock? Well, come on by. What is this world that you are living in?"
Perhaps that's a question better put to the rest of us.
Leaving aside Pearson's political opinions, this is a proportion problem. The same one that is rampant throughout the country.
It's where platform or poll numbers don't seem to match experience, temperament or suitability for an office.
It's a "Twilight Zone" of our own creation. It's where attention equals achievement in the same way PowerPoint presentations can approximate scholarship. Pearson's got a website. He's branded. He's on message. He's got followers.
What's the problem? Well, watching Pearson, you can't help but be put off by anybody who is 13 and who is so disrespectful, especially without the standing and age to allow his words to pass for serious critique or discourse.
Former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts spent eight years in the House, including as conference chairman for the Republican Party. He doesn't doubt the teen's sincerity but says he's concerned about the motives of some of the people rushing to support him.
Watts offers what he calls "some context on life":
"Because you're 21, you're old enough to buy beer. That doesn't make you a man."
You wouldn't want someone who just graduated from seminary pastoring your church, even if you see potential in that person, says Watts, an ordained minister.
When someone claims authority, preferably you'd want that person to be more seasoned, especially in politics, which for both parties can be harsh and exploitative, Watts says.
"It's not that they can't have opinions, that they can't have political thoughts, but at 12 or 13 we want to make sure you're a good student," he says. "If you have interest in athletics, you need time to develop those skills. You're going to have plenty of opportunity to be thrown under the bus when you're 30 or 40.
You don't want to be thrown under the bus before you're 15."
Watts says he'd be concerned if his grandson was in such a situation.
Pearson says his own grandparents - he lives with them - are Democrats and "don't support my message, but they do support my will to get involved."
As a Cruz volunteer, Pearson says he leads a significant portion of the campaign's youth operation. He calls it "truly humbling" to have their trust and support.
Rick Tyler, a Cruz spokesman, told the Dallas Morning News that "the Internet allows really anyone to have a voice and build a following, and C.J. is a great example."
"He can make a real difference. He's kind of the model that we want others to follow."
Really? I feel like the Roman Empire fell for less.
At one point in the video, Pearson gets even more worked up.
"What are your priorities?" he demands of Obama, his voice rising with anger. "I think you're being ignorant. I think you're incompetent, and I think you don't understand reality."
We're in the zone, people.
© 2015 The Washington Post
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