[9][10][11] Harding picked Berlin after hearing the producer's work on Leo Kottke's Great Big Boy.

[14] Harding wrote "Hitler's Tears", a song about fascism, after watching television footage of Pat Buchanan and David Duke.

"[10] The Washington Post stated that the album "replaces the musical Attractions of Harding's previous work with a more rustic, less derivative approach.

"[19] Stereo Review called Why We Fight "a lengthy album whose politics are always correct and almost always obvious," noting that Harding "writes facilely about iconic figures ... and poses questions that are more well-intentioned than illuminating.

[23] AllMusic called Why We Fight "arguably his strongest album and boasting the perfect balance of folk and attitude.