--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: However little president Obama knows or…" description: "\"However little president Obama knows or cares about economics, he knows a lot about politics - and especially political rhetoric. 'High-speed rail' is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg" --- # However little president Obama knows or cares about… ![“However little president Obama knows or cares about economics, he knows a lot about politics - and especially political rhetoric. 'High-speed rail' is simply another set of loft words to justify continued expansion of government spending. So are words like 'investment in education' or 'investment'…” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg) > “However little president Obama knows or cares about economics, he knows a lot about politics - and especially political rhetoric. 'High-speed rail' is simply another set of loft words to justify continued expansion of government spending. So are words like 'investment in education' or 'investment' in any number of other things, which serves the same political purpose.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political rhetoric often disguises spending as noble investment, using buzzwords to gain support. **In simple terms:** Rhetoric masks spending. Key Takeaway Scrutinize political language. Themes politics language spending Mood critical skeptical Type analytical educational When to use this quote - budget debates - campaign speeches - public forums Key Concepts public policy propaganda Questions to Reflect On - How can you differentiate genuine investment from rhetoric? - What evidence reveals true motives? A Different Perspective Some policies genuinely benefit the public despite rhetoric. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government spending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-spending/) [High speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-speed/) [High speed rail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-speed-rail/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Investment in education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment-in-education/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-rhetoric/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) ## Related quotes > [Obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/obedience-is-the-psychological-mechanism-that-links-individual-action/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Art can be very political but that can't be the purpose of art, it can't be the driving force. It isn't with any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/art-can-be-very-political-but-that-can-t-be-the-purpose-of-art-it-can/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“art is self-sufficient and need serve no moral or political purpose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/art-is-self-sufficient-and-need-serve-no-moral-or-political-purpose/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in you doubts about yourself – your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/understand-people-will-constantly-attack-you-in-life-one-of-their/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It was a mistake to speak one's mind at any time, unless it perfectly matched your political purpose; and it never did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-a-mistake-to-speak-one-s-mind-at-any-time-unless-it-perfectly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “t's \[King James Bible\] subject is majesty, not tyranny, and it's political purpose was unifying and enfolding, to elide the kingliness of God with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-nicolson/t-s-king-james-bible-subject-is-majesty-not-tyranny-and-it-s/) [Adam Nicolson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-nicolson/) > [Let individuals contribute as they desire; but let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, directly or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/let-individuals-contribute-as-they-desire-but-let-us-prohibit-in/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Quite frankly, Barack Obama knows what it's like to pay a mortgage and student loans. He knows what it's like to watch a beloved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-strickland/quite-frankly-barack-obama-knows-what-it-s-like-to-pay-a-mortgage-and/) [Ted Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-strickland/) > [The greatest thing to me about Obama is not the individual, it does not have to do with Obama himself - it's really about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-marley/the-greatest-thing-to-me-about-obama-is-not-the-individual-it-does/) [Damian Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-marley/) > [Barack Obama knows that to create an economy built to last, we need to focus on middle-class families. Families who stay up on Sunday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/barack-obama-knows-that-to-create-an-economy-built-to-last-we-need-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know Obama knows better than George W. Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-know-obama-knows-better-than-george-w-bush/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [President Obama knows that wars are not to be entered into lightly; he knows that overseas conflicts don't only do damage in the land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-chafee/president-obama-knows-that-wars-are-not-to-be-entered-into-lightly-he/) [Lincoln Chafee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-chafee/) > [Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/barack-obama-knows-that-america-cannot-be-strong-abroad-unless-we-are/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Six years in and theres still no evidence Obama even knows what a job is. . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-sutter/six-years-in-and-theres-still-no-evidence-obama-even-knows-what-a-job/) [Rick Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-sutter/) > [Barack Obama knows a lot about a lot of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/barack-obama-knows-a-lot-about-a-lot-of-things/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "However little president Obama knows or cares about economics, he knows a lot about politics - and especially political rhetoric. 'High-speed rail' is simply another set of loft words to justify continued expansion of government spending. So are words like 'investment in education' or 'investment' in any number of other things, which serves the same political purpose.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/however-little-president-obama-knows-or-cares-about-economics-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Care" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/however-little-president-obama-knows-or-cares-about-economics-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/thomas-sowell-247_care_however-little-president-obama-knows-or_2371170.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“However little president Obama knows or cares about economics, he knows a lot about politics - and…” — Thomas Sowell", "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": "Thomas Sowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "However little president Obama knows or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/however-little-president-obama-knows-or-cares-about-economics-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/however-little-president-obama-knows-or-cares-about-economics-he/#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 } } ] } ```