--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were people who voted for Obama…" description: "\"There were people who voted for Obama simply because he was the first African-American. We had a lot of people that would not have voted for Obama but ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/rush-limbaugh-28_all-kinds_there-were-people-who-voted-for-obama-si_1324370.jpg" --- # There were people who voted for Obama simply because he… ![“There were people who voted for Obama simply because he was the first African-American. We had a lot of people that would not have voted for Obama but who did because they really hoped that the nation, making the statement electing an African-American president, would prove once and for all that…” quote by Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/rush-limbaugh-28_all-kinds_there-were-people-who-voted-for-obama-si_1324370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/rush-limbaugh-28_all-kinds_there-were-people-who-voted-for-obama-si_1324370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/rush-limbaugh-28_all-kinds_there-were-people-who-voted-for-obama-si_1324370.jpg) > “There were people who voted for Obama simply because he was the first African-American. We had a lot of people that would not have voted for Obama but who did because they really hoped that the nation, making the statement electing an African-American president, would prove once and for all that this is not a racist nation. I believe that there were all kinds of people that voted for Obama with that hope. That was the reason. Everything else was irrelevant to them.” [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People voted for Obama hoping his election would prove the nation isn’t racist, ignoring other issues. **In simple terms:** Voting was driven by symbolic hope for racial progress. Key Takeaway Recognize symbolic motivations in political choices. Themes politics race hope symbolism Mood reflective critical Type analytical political When to use this quote - elections - public opinion - civil rights movements - media narratives Key Concepts identity politics social perception Questions to Reflect On - Did you ever vote for a candidate for symbolic reasons? - How do symbols influence political decisions? A Different Perspective Symbolic voting may overlook substantive policy evaluation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/) [American president](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-president/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [I dug deep, and I found that there were people who voted for Obama and then voted for Trump - because they saw what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-dug-deep-and-i-found-that-there-were-people-who-voted-for-obama-and/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [Electing the first African-American president was a tremendous accomplishment, but it hasn't erased racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/electing-the-first-african-american-president-was-a-tremendous/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [Donald Trump has nobody helping him other than the people that voted for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-has-nobody-helping-him-other-than-the-people-that-voted/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ A good many people voted for \[Barack\] Obama, and I'm not only talking about the black vote. A lot of people voted for Obama… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/a-good-many-people-voted-for-barack-obama-and-i-m-not-only-talking/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [A lot of people who voted for Trump, working class people, voted for Obama in 2008. They were seduced by the slogans "hope" and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-lot-of-people-who-voted-for-trump-working-class-people-voted-for/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Many of the people who voted for Trump were people who voted for Obama eight years ago. You remember, of course, his message was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/many-of-the-people-who-voted-for-trump-were-people-who-voted-for/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I voted for Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/i-voted-for-obama/) [Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/) > [Truth be known, President Obama has never been particularly driven by principle. Right after his election, I wrote a column in a few days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/truth-be-known-president-obama-has-never-been-particularly-driven-by/) [Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/) > [I voted for Obama. I was very happy when he won. 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But we really have to analyze in a deeper way why we have these problems -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/it-hasn-t-been-for-a-lack-of-trying-but-we-really-have-to-analyze-in/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [I can't tell you, I couldn't put a number on it, but it's big, the number of white voters in America that voted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-can-t-tell-you-i-couldn-t-put-a-number-on-it-but-it-s-big-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Many people voted for Trump just to say, you know, their 'no' to the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/many-people-voted-for-trump-just-to-say-you-know-their-no-to-the/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Everybody wants my support. You know why? Cause I had more than 14 million people that voted for me. And nobody gives us credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/everybody-wants-my-support-you-know-why-cause-i-had-more-than-14/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Donald Trump has never tried to reach out to all the American people, he never uses the language of unity, he doesn't try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/donald-trump-has-never-tried-to-reach-out-to-all-the-american-people/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [When people voted for Donald Trump, they knew he wasn't an angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/when-people-voted-for-donald-trump-they-knew-he-wasn-t-an-angel/) [Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/) ## More by Rush Limbaugh > [You can criticize Trump and his wealth all day long, but you can't say he hasn't worked. You can say that about the Clintons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-can-criticize-trump-and-his-wealth-all-day-long-but-you-can-t-say/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. 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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/) > [People from all over the world came to America and assimilated into a single culture rooted in the founding, which is rooted in individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/people-from-all-over-the-world-came-to-america-and-assimilated-into-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The left wants to transform America away from founding ideals, and this is it. And they know it. And they're doing everything they, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-left-wants-to-transform-america-away-from-founding-ideals-and/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. 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We had a lot of people that would not have voted for Obama but who did because they really hoped that the nation, making the statement electing an African-American president, would prove once and for all that this is not a racist nation. I believe that there were all kinds of people that voted for Obama with that hope. That was the reason. 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