 Prior to his work in journalism , Krohn wrote and self @-@ published the book Defining Conservatism , in which he sought to outline core conservative principles . He gained national attention when he addressed the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference ( CPAC ) , at age 13 . Krohn convinced skeptical organizers to allow him to speak for three minutes at the CPAC event on February 27 , 2009 . His speech was well received by the audience and later gained popularity on the internet , garnering Krohn attention on national news programs on CNN and the Fox News . In 2009 , he was a finalist for Time magazine 's Time 100 for the year . His second book , Defining Conservatism : The Principles That Will Bring Our Country Back , was released on February 9 , 2010 . 
