---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason I'm voting for Barack Obama is…"
description: "\"The reason I'm voting for Barack Obama is that it's either him or a police state - someone who's carrying on policies that are clearly stated and direc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/naomi-wolf-1344_barack_the-reason-i-m-voting-for-barack-obama-i_2673481.png"
---

#  The reason I'm voting for Barack Obama is that it's either…

![“The reason I'm voting for Barack Obama is that it's either him or a police state - someone who's carrying on policies that are clearly stated and directed at subverting liberty. He's definitely the lesser of two evils.” quote by Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/naomi-wolf-1344_barack_the-reason-i-m-voting-for-barack-obama-i_2673481.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/naomi-wolf-1344_barack_the-reason-i-m-voting-for-barack-obama-i_2673481.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/naomi-wolf-1344_barack_the-reason-i-m-voting-for-barack-obama-i_2673481.png)

> “The reason I'm voting for Barack Obama is that it's either him or a police state - someone who's carrying on policies that are clearly stated and directed at subverting liberty. He's definitely the lesser of two evils.”

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote expresses a belief that voting for Obama is a pragmatic choice to avoid a perceived greater threat to liberty.

**In simple terms:** Choosing Obama is seen as the lesser evil to protect freedom.

Key Takeaway

Vote for the option that best preserves liberty.

Themes

politics elections liberty

Mood

cautious critical

Type

political opinion

When to use this quote

- national elections
- policy debates
- civil rights activism

Key Concepts

pragmatism choice risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- Is the lesser evil truly less harmful?
- How do we evaluate threats to liberty?

A Different Perspective

The view assumes the opponent will become a police state, which may be speculative.

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## Related quotes

> [“If it feels like you're choosing between the lesser of two evils, don't. There is always a higher choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-neill/if-it-feels-like-you-re-choosing-between-the-lesser-of-two-evils-don/)

[Michael Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-neill/)

> [Every time we have had a presidential election where there is "White or Black," you always have to choose between the lesser of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/every-time-we-have-had-a-presidential-election-where-there-is-white/)

[Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/)

> [Voting for the lesser of two evils is voting for your own enslavement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-celente/voting-for-the-lesser-of-two-evils-is-voting-for-your-own-enslavement/)

[Gerald Celente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-celente/)

> [I don't consider Hillary Clinton to be the lesser of two evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-don-t-consider-hillary-clinton-to-be-the-lesser-of-two-evils/)

[Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/)

> [Abortion is not the lesser of two evils. It is a crime. It is to throw someone out in order to save another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/abortion-is-not-the-lesser-of-two-evils-it-is-a-crime-it-is-to-throw/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Some rule out of a lust for ruling; others, so as not to be ruled:Mto these it is merely the lesser of two evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/some-rule-out-of-a-lust-for-ruling-others-so-as-not-to-be-ruled-mto/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [If you always vote for the lesser of two evils, you will always have evil, and you will always have less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/if-you-always-vote-for-the-lesser-of-two-evils-you-will-always-have/)

[Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/)

> [The lesser of two evils, or the least of the worst, is not good enough for the American people anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/the-lesser-of-two-evils-or-the-least-of-the-worst-is-not-good-enough/)

[Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/)

> [There's a terrible danger in voting for the lesser of two evils because the parties can set it up that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-terrible-danger-in-voting-for-the-lesser-of-two-evils/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Well, I'm against Bush. I'm definitely not pro-Bush. I think he's a maniac and a mad man, and I think he needs to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-miret/well-i-m-against-bush-i-m-definitely-not-pro-bush-i-think-he-s-a/)

[Roger Miret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-miret/)

> [But you don't do it. Because guys like us, Red, we know there's a third choice. An alternative to staying simon-pure or bathing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-you-don-t-do-it-because-guys-like-us-red-we-know-there-s-a-third/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Although war is evil, it is occasionally the lesser of two evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcgeorge-bundy/although-war-is-evil-it-is-occasionally-the-lesser-of-two-evils/)

[McGeorge Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcgeorge-bundy/)

> [If you are picking the lesser of two evils, you are still picking Evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/if-you-are-picking-the-lesser-of-two-evils-you-are-still-picking-evil/)

[Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/)

> [The two-party system is a bad joke on the American people; when it comes to Republicans and Democrats remember they are two sides of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-russo/the-two-party-system-is-a-bad-joke-on-the-american-people-when-it/)

[Aaron Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-russo/)

> [If you have difficulties making a decision, choose the lesser of the two evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/if-you-have-difficulties-making-a-decision-choose-the-lesser-of-the/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

## More by Naomi Wolf

> [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [Demographically, I'm a hippie from San Francisco and I'm not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/demographically-i-m-a-hippie-from-san-francisco-and-i-m-not/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [Maybe the less pain we inflict on our bodies, the more beautiful our bodies will look to us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/maybe-the-less-pain-we-inflict-on-our-bodies-the-more-beautiful-our/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“The rise of the beauty myth was just one of several emerging social fictions that masqueraded as natural components of the feminine sphere, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-rise-of-the-beauty-myth-was-just-one-of-several-emerging-social/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [The Victorian woman became her ovaries, as today's woman has become her "beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-victorian-woman-became-her-ovaries-as-today-s-woman-has-become/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“The anthropologist Margaret Mead concluded in 1948, after observing seven different ethnic groups in the Pacific Islands, that different cultures made different forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-anthropologist-margaret-mead-concluded-in-1948-after-observing/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her "beauty" his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/what-becomes-of-a-man-who-acquires-a-beautiful-woman-with-her-beauty/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“Beauty” is a currency system like the gold standard. Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/beauty-is-a-currency-system-like-the-gold-standard-like-any-economy/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“Rape and sexual assault ... should be understood not just as a form of forced sex, they should also be understood as as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/rape-and-sexual-assault-should-be-understood-not-just-as-a-form-of/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“The qualities that a given period calls beautiful in women are merely symbols of the female behavior that that period considers desirable: The beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-qualities-that-a-given-period-calls-beautiful-in-women-are-merely/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [To live in a culture in which women are routinely naked where men aren't is to learn inequality in little ways all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/to-live-in-a-culture-in-which-women-are-routinely-naked-where-men/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [a white person who claims to have no impediment of vision in this country is not, I think, telling the whole truth. And when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/a-white-person-who-claims-to-have-no-impediment-of-vision-in-this/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“The beauty myth sets it up this way: A high rating as an art object is the most valuable tribute a woman can exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/the-beauty-myth-sets-it-up-this-way-a-high-rating-as-an-art-object-is/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [“Societies tell themselves necessary fictions in the same way that individuals and families do. Henrik Ibsen called them “vital lies,” and psychologist Daniel Goleman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/societies-tell-themselves-necessary-fictions-in-the-same-way-that/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

[Explore all 251 Naomi Wolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

## More Barack quotes

> [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/)

[James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/)

> [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I can tell you who's planning terroris attacks. The leaders of ISIL. And I can tell you where they're at. They're in Raqqa, Syria.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-tell-you-who-s-planning-terroris-attacks-the-leaders-of-isil/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [ The president \[Barack Obama\] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-commitment-of-i-think-100-000/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [ I think the president's \[Barack Obama\] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-position-has-been-very-clear-on/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [ It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president \[Barack Obama\] has consistently said - which I agree with - is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-think-what-the-president-barack/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [It doesn't matter to me where Barack Obama goes. If he wants to go to Hawaii because it's his home state, fine! Hunky-dory. Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whole-lot-about-barack-obama-at/)

[John H. McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-mcwhorter/)

> [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [I think President Barack Obama has been an extraordinarily successful president, and that this period will record that with a bunch of exclamation points.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-president-barack-obama-has-been-an-extraordinarily-successful/)

[Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

[Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/)

> [In public, Barack Obama's giving the simple version of his beliefs for the mass public. In private, he can discuss it at a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/in-public-barack-obama-s-giving-the-simple-version-of-his-beliefs-for/)

[Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/)

[Browse all 1,672 Barack quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barack/)

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