--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Persuading the people to vote against…" description: "\"Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning.\" — Gore ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg" --- # Persuading the people to vote against their own best… ![“Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg) > “Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political leaders manipulate public opinion to serve elite interests, often opposing voters' welfare. **In simple terms:** Leaders can mislead voters against their own good. Key Takeaway Question critically and seek independent information. Themes politics manipulation elite power public opinion Mood cautious skeptical Type political critical When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - media consumption - activism Key Concepts propaganda self‑interest democratic erosion Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens protect themselves from manipulation? - What mechanisms ensure accountability? A Different Perspective Voters may lack access to unbiased information. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) ## Related quotes > [“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [“The genius of the American system is not freedom; the genius of the American system is checks and balances. Nobody gets all the power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-not-freedom-the-genius-of-the/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [The genius of the American system is that through freedom we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-through-freedom-we-have/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created-2/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [A product is usually created to improve people's lives; otherwise, why buy it? I'm no genius, but I am an American, and gosh-darnit, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/a-product-is-usually-created-to-improve-people-s-lives-otherwise-why/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [I think that we vote, not to get the best party in, but to keep the worst party out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-think-that-we-vote-not-to-get-the-best-party-in-but-to-keep-the/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [I’m not intellectually convinced that one-man, one-vote is the best. We practise it because that’s what the British bequeathed us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-m-not-intellectually-convinced-that-one-man-one-vote-is-the-best-we/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [And they'll vote for me because I'm the best liar, because I do it honestly, with a certain finesse. They know that lies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/and-they-ll-vote-for-me-because-i-m-the-best-liar-because-i-do-it/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [Never vote for the best candidate, vote for the one who will do the least harm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-dane/never-vote-for-the-best-candidate-vote-for-the-one-who-will-do-the/) [Frank Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-dane/) > [“We don’t dwell on the weaknesses of each one of us…I am not asking you to vote for me, vote for the best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dida-mohamed/we-don-t-dwell-on-the-weaknesses-of-each-one-of-us-i-am-not-asking/) [Dida Mohamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dida-mohamed/) > [We would all like to vote for the best man but he is never a candidate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/we-would-all-like-to-vote-for-the-best-man-but-he-is-never-a-candidate/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [I don't vote party lines. Never have. I vote for the best candidate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-schilling/i-don-t-vote-party-lines-never-have-i-vote-for-the-best-candidate/) [Curt Schilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-schilling/) > [Everyone wants to vote for the best and most qualified man, but he never runs for office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/everyone-wants-to-vote-for-the-best-and-most-qualified-man-but-he/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [VOTE FOR THE BEST AND FORGET THE REST:-)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darinesha-white/vote-for-the-best-and-forget-the-rest/) Darinesha White > [People are starting to notice the great divide. The Tea party sees the aloofness in a political elite that thinks it knows best and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/people-are-starting-to-notice-the-great-divide-the-tea-party-sees-the/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Elites quotes > [This is what I say about the scorn of the media elite: I wear their scorn as a badge of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/this-is-what-i-say-about-the-scorn-of-the-media-elite-i-wear-their/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [The idea of a bowed and terrified liberal minority during McCarthy's 'reign of terror' is poppycock. Then as now, all elite opinion was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-idea-of-a-bowed-and-terrified-liberal-minority-during-mccarthy-s/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [This is the culmination of a lot of people's vision. I think this is just another step towards making Central Michigan football among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/this-is-the-culmination-of-a-lot-of-people-s-vision-i-think-this-is/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The majority of Arab people would side with Russia and China, not with the West. And they'd throw their 'elites' groomed in and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/the-majority-of-arab-people-would-side-with-russia-and-china-not-with/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [Above all, the listener should be able to understand the poem or the song, not be forced to unravel a complicated, self-indulgent puzzle. Offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-williams/above-all-the-listener-should-be-able-to-understand-the-poem-or-the/) [Lucinda Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-williams/) > [The anger I felt when the ACLU tried to disenfranchise me because my religious stayed with me. These are dangerous people who make dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hyde/the-anger-i-felt-when-the-aclu-tried-to-disenfranchise-me-because-my/) [Henry Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hyde/) > [The behavior and reactions of the oppressed, which lead the oppressor to practice cultural invasion, should evoke from the revolutionary a different theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-behavior-and-reactions-of-the-oppressed-which-lead-the-oppressor/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [I pretend no originality in observing that mass education was motivated in part by the perceived need to "educate them to keep them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-pretend-no-originality-in-observing-that-mass-education-was/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Dependency arguments often come from elites - either aid agencies or governments - and say something about attitudes to poor people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/dependency-arguments-often-come-from-elites-either-aid-agencies-or/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) > [Professional football's a tough game. It's a lot of contact. It's a lot of wear and tear on your body. You've got elite athletes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-urschel/professional-football-s-a-tough-game-it-s-a-lot-of-contact-it-s-a-lot/) John Urschel > [I think there's just been this "thing" that's developed, this way that we have of talking about our music that alienates people. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-mazzoli/i-think-there-s-just-been-this-thing-that-s-developed-this-way-that/) [Missy Mazzoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-mazzoli/) > [ Skilled shortages in America exist because we are shielding our skilled labor force from world competition. \[Visa quotas\] have been substituted for the wage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/skilled-shortages-in-america-exist-because-we-are-shielding-our/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [A nation as such does not give aid to another nation. More precisely, the common citizens of our country, through their taxes, give to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/a-nation-as-such-does-not-give-aid-to-another-nation-more-precisely/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don't hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don't understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-government-built-the-grid-to-favor-one-industry-over-others-but-i/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [South Africa is labouring to find its revolutionary path; the colours of the Rainbow Nation have difficulty blending together; the wealthy elites (white, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/south-africa-is-labouring-to-find-its-revolutionary-path-the-colours/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) [Browse all 615 Elites quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gore Vidal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-their-own-best-interests-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elites" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-their-own-best-interests-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/gore-vidal-466_elites_persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-th_761822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American…” — Gore Vidal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gore Vidal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Persuading the people to vote against...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-their-own-best-interests-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-their-own-best-interests-has/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```