(Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn) Westmoreland calls Obama ‘uppity'

[sabra]

Source: The Hill

Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term "uppity" to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday.

Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.

"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.

Asked to clarify that he used the word “uppity,” Westmoreland said, “Uppity, yeah.”

...

The Obama campaign, asked about the quote, did not note any racial context.

“Sounds like Rep. Westmoreland should be careful throwing stones from his candidate's eight glass houses,” said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/westmoreland-calls-obama-uppity-2008-09-04.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. It's ok. As long as they don't say "nigger", it's not racist....

I know this because white folks tell me it's so.

(And actually, it's not even racist then, as I recall DUers defending Michael Richards' "nigger" rant.)

So basically, nothing is racist, and you're all oversensitive race-card players for saying so.


EDIT: Now let the "benefit of the doubt"-ers enter, and continue happily perpetuating the racism.

[Faygo Kid]

24. And even then . . .

They would say it's a colloquialism, and since blacks use the term, why can't Rush?

He and Hannity are dying to say it.

[LiberalFighter]

61. Can we refer Windbag and Insanity as uppity? In place of the other word?

[firedupdem]

2. I'll add it for Obama's campaign...it means this black man is not staying in his place..

[jimshoes]

3. Oooohh lynn

how waspy of you.

[firedupdem]

6. Just look at the people at their convention. I know what it means..the ignorant bastard!

[elehhhhna]

11. speaking of which have you ever seen so many bad

home-perms & bleached blonde dye jobs? SHEESH!

[tekisui]

4. I hope he gets fried for this.

He went were we knew they would. He should lose his job. Spread this around.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

5. That was a witty come-back - "eight glass houses" indeed.

I think the humorous response that includes a jab about how "uppity" McCain is took the right approach to this kind of bs.

[Ghost Dog]

16. Yeah. Nice riposte. n/t

[madrchsod]

7. love the comment from tommy......

[LynneSin]

8. Did Obama wear earrings the price of a middle-class house on his ears?

http://alexanderchee.net/2008/09/04/cindy-mccains-earrings-monday-cost-more-than-your-mortgage/

Nuff said

[elehhhhna]

13. LOL that needs its own thread!

[snappyturtle]

19. It has one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3923300

[i-grok]

9. So how the hell does someone become "a member of an elitist-class individual"?

That doesn't make any sense at all! :eyes:
Westmoreland appears to be even stump-fucking dumber than most repigs.

[skypilot]

12. You know, I didn't even notice that.

I'm so used to Republicans not being able to string together a cogent sentence that these days I just read through the crap they say without even blinking.

[FVZA_Colonel]

14. It doesn't, but you still know what he meant.

And now that the Repugs are playing the "sexism" card every time someone says something nasty about Palin maybe the campaign should have suggested there was a racial context to what this asshole said.

[NashVegas]

27. I've Been Predicting This Since Last Friday

Palin was chosen to draw sexist attacks from media and Dems; one of the "benefits," is that Republicans can turn around and get all kinds of ugly and try to pull out Gerry Ferraro or someone else when the complaints start.

[FVZA_Colonel]

37. I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

I find it amazing that the party that has liked to view itself as "political incorrectness incarnate," the party that is hostile to the very concept of "sexism" (when not directed against men), is now running to play the sexism card at every opportunity.

[mcg]

30. elitist = arrogant = uppity = doesn't know his place. It's racism in code,

this is just a new word used in the not-so-new Southern strategy. It pisses them off to see a black person who's smarter than them and above the rank of a manual laborer.

This reminds me of a movie about slavery. A scene in the movie shows a slave playing a violin - well. The 'owner' smashed the violin. He couldn't stand to see a slave do something he couldn't.

I think the ghost of slavery is related to this. This is ugly stuff.

[mikelgb]

10. k+r this thread needs to be uppity at the greatest page

[firedupdem]

15. Will somebody call them on this bullshit?? It's amazing that assholes like that are allowed to speak

It's pissing me off....okay....taking deep breaths now.....

[Lautremont]

17. This guy sounds not only like a racist, but like a real, genuine idiot.

Or am I being redundant?

[firedupdem]

18. not at all....I'm trying to contact the bastard now....

[awoke_in_2003]

29. Yes, you are being redundant...

he is republican, those qualities are a given :)

[HopeHoops]

20. Yo, Wesmoreland - "Lynn" sounds like a girly man name!

Okay, okay, that wasn't as strong as "uppity", but it was the best I could do on the fly.

[kestrel91316]

21. RACIST M-----F----R.

[struggle4progress]

22. Ten Commandments Congressman can't name them (June 2006)

... Georgia Representative Lynn Westmoreland .. co-sponsored a bill to require the display of the Ten Commandments in the House of Reps and the Senate ...

Stephen Colbert: What are the Ten Commandments?
Lynn Westmoreland: What are all of them?
SC: Yes.
LW: You want me to name them all?
SC: Yes.
LW: Uhhh.
LW: Ummmm. Don't murder. Don't lie. Don't steal. Ummmmm.
LW: I can't name them all.

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/17/ten-commandments-con.html

video @ link

[kay1864]

33. 2 out of 10, Way to go, Congressman (R)!

("Don't lie" is not one of them)

[LiberalFighter]

62. Must be why they get away with lying.

[MilesColtrane]

23. Dear Lynn(ch) Westmoreland,

Fuck you, you racist shit bag.

[hatrack]

25. Gosh, I'm going to have to kick this story right uppity the page

Not that I'm really surprised by this, since you knew it was coming at some point . . .

[TheWraith]

26. Kicked and recommended.

"Uppity" is their way of using the N-word without actually saying it publicly.

[Parche]

28. And Cindy McCane Wearing Her $$$$$ Dress Is Not?

Hypocrisy has no bounds....:grr: :grr: :hi:

[bluedeminredstate]

31. The fact that this illiterate wanker is from Georgia

means that he knows exactly what uppity means. When asked to clarify the word - you know, weasel his way out of an embarassing display of his blatant racism, he repeated the word uppity to make his point clear.
Too bad this reporter didn't make it abundantly clear that this bonehead is an unrepentant bigot by noting that no one in polite society uses words like this and haven't since the days of "white" and "colored" water fountains, bathrooms and restaurants.

The only "uppity member of an elitist-class individual" apparent in this story is the idiot from Georgia.

[LiberalFighter]

63. He was born in 1950 which is well within the time period THOSE white people

would had used that term.

[tosh]

66. Thank you bluedem - I was just about to post the same thought.

You have saved me the time & effort.

If this idiot is a Georgian, he knows EXACTLY what he said and how offensive it is.

[SpookyCat]

32. Watching as much of this as I could stomach last night,

and the brilliant Daily Show coverage, I think we need to be prepared for just how bad this is going to get. Someone will use the N word before this is over. What these people are saying already in these only slightly veiled code words without a hint of shame will escalate as the vote nears.

And yes, "uppity" most certainly is racist, and if directed at a women, it is sexist. It means "doesn't know their place".

[newfie11]

34. He has such a way with the english language!

There is no comparison between Michele Obama and the alaska slut. Michele is well educated classy lady. The slut needs to crawl back under her trailer.:grr:

[mitchum]

35. "Uppity" is Georgia redneck speak for "damn nigger"...

Westmoreland and his supporters are very aware of that fact

[Janice325]

36. I live in Georgia, but not in that moranic asshole's district. That comment

pissed me off so much I googled to see who his Democratic opponent is. It's Stephen Camp, website here: http://www.stephencampforcongress.com /
I just donated to Mr. Camp's campaign. Maybe some of y'all might want to as well.

[tosh]

67. Oh this is good!!

I just went to Stephen Camp's website. On the front page is a press release on Westmoreland's remark, worth checking out & adding a comment.

Edited to add: I left a donation, too. Great idea, Janice. Thanks!

[mhatrw]

38. The only word that ever comes after "uppity" in Georgia starts with N.

[marshall]

39. Past Klan membership?

Has anybody checked Westmoreland's history for past Klan affilication?

[gratuitous]

40. It's a damn shame, isn't it Lynn?

There was a time when you and your ilk could use the word "uppity" and Something Would Be Done About It. Now, not only don't those people fail to cower before your awesomely manly manliness, they even give you some sass back.

[classysassy]

41. Another

dixican racist prick.

[indepat]

42. Not so subliminal message: beware of those uppity n-words who like our young white women

:shrug:

[DogPoundPup]

43. GOP Congressman calls Barack and Michelle Obama 'uppity"

Source: The Mercury News

WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman from Georgia who referred to Barack and Michelle Obama as "uppity" says he wasn't aware of the term's racial overtones and did not intend to insult anyone.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Grantville, Ga., described the Obamas as members of an "elitist-class ... that thinks that they're uppity," according to The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Asked if he intended to use the word, he said, "Yeah, uppity."

In a statement Friday, Westmoreland — who was born in 1950 and raised in the segregated South — said he didn't know that "uppity" was commonly used as a derogatory term for blacks seeking equal treatment. Instead, he referred to the dictionary definition of the word as describing someone who is haughty, snobbish or has inflated self-esteem.

"He stands by that characterization and thinks it accurately describes the Democratic nominee," said Brian Robinson, Westmoreland's spokesman. "He was unaware that the word had racial overtones, and he had absolutely no intention of using a word that can be considered offensive."

The Obama campaign had no immediate response.

Westmoreland is one of the most conservative members of Congress. He has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates on a number of issues, including last year when he led opposition to renewing the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He also was one of two House members last year who opposed giving the Justice Department more money to crack unsolved civil rights killings.



Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_10390177?nclick_check=1

[villager]

44. Can I call Westmoreland an "ignorant cracker," without, you know, meaning to insult him?

n/t

[fascisthunter]

55. What's Wrong with Calling a Cracker a Cracker????

[JonLP24]

45. actions speak louder then words (nt)

[phantom power]

46. Sure, Lynn, and "macaca" is just a particuclar genus of monkey.

It's right there in the dictionary.

:eyes:

[kwolf68]

47. Holy shit.

He doesn't want to solve unsolved murders?

I thought Repukes were tough on crime?

Oh that's right, it was just some uppity negro who died, no big loss. /sarcasm

The civil rights workers of the 1960s ARE HEROES ladies and gentlemen...HEROES. Many laid down their lives for other people's freedom. Dr. King doesn't take a bullet had he just kept his 'uppity self' quiet and stayed on the back of the bus. But King (and many others) did what was right, risked it all, and in many instances gave it all just so others could enjoy freedom.

If there is a better definition of hero I dont know what it is...and all the code words and catch phrases the Republicans use to justify our wars can be accurately applied to civil rights workers who fought for freedom.

This guy is a racist and I hate him.

[Bob Dobbs]

48. westmoreland is a ignorant, racist, cracker, honkey sociopath.

This was an attack directed by the mcslime campaign.

Cynical, racist demagoguery.

[felinetta]

52. McCain voted against Martin Luther King day

You are absolutely right!  They hate most Americans, unless
they are white and rich!

[sinkingfeeling]

49. Is he just that stupid? 'Born in 1950 and raised in the segregated South' and didn't know

the term was derogatory? Hey, Lynn (you got a girl's name), do you know if 'white trash' is derogatory?

[LiberalFighter]

64. He's got the same first name as Lynn Swann a pro football player for the Vikings.

He is black.

Maybe someone should suggest in public that his mother named him after the player. I know it ain't so. But might irritate him enough.

[4lbs]

50. He says he didn't mean to be racist....

yet his voting record suggests just that.

He opposed any measure or bill that would have helped minorities and investigations of those criminals that attacked minorities.

[JonLP24]

53. Bingo

He may try to justify his usage, but his record is very relevant. Actions speak louder then words.

[MetaTrope]

51. I'm sure some of his best friends are

still using the word 'uppity'.

[Castleman]

54. Fucking lying cracker-ass honky muthufucka!

"Didn't know" it had racial overtones?
BULLSHIT ALERT!!!! BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!BULLSHIT ALERT!!!!
When he wins the White House, you gonna call him Sir or "boy"?
Is there a smilie of a bull shitting perchance?

[Castleman]

56. Just got off the phone with his office...

"oh no, he had no idea the term could be offensive, but he does now..."
lying piece of shit!

[fascisthunter]

57. Another Cowardly Bigot in the GOP

weak

[Hoyt]

58. Sadly, that's quite common here in Georgia,

These Aholes know exactly what they are saying, and it is intended to gratify their supporters. If he was born in Grantville in 1950, I will guarantee the SOB knew exactly what he was saying and who would applaud him for saying it. Just makes me send Obama/Biden and local Democrats another contribution.

[Jack Rabbit]

59. He didn't think 'uppity' was offensive?

Weii, Evan Mecham, former governor of Arizona, didn't think "pickaninny" was offensive, either.

[cyndensco]

60. Didn't the RNC conduct a survey to determine just how far they could push the race agenda

when it became evident Obama would be their opponent? Guess "uppity" fit the guidelines....

[RebelOne]

65. Take the survey on Atlanta's WSBTV site.

Do you consider the word 'uppity' offensive? The No's are way ahead. But, of course, this is Georgia.

www.wsbtv.com/politics/17401585/detail.html

[tosh]

68. Done & Thanks! nt.

[Hoyt]

69. Done too,

Results so far -- 69% say it is NOT offensive. 31% - including me - say it is.

Local hatemonger Neil Boortz -- who got his start writing racist speeches for segregationist Lester Maddox -- is probably skewing the results.

[Cherchez la Femme]

70. Should Obama point out racist slurs?

He, or his people, certainly weren't afraid to call the Clintons racists (although I am still unconvinced what they said was racist)

but this... now THIS is definitely racist

yet not a word about it from the Obama camp.


The 'cons have already trotted out how we're "sexist" because we have dared to question Palin's political decisions.
Now we've got not smoke but fire with "uppity". Why is ignoring it a good move, can anybody explain?

[Paladin]

71. What A Total Asshole. Reminds Me Of The Term "Porch Monkey"

I can't remember the exact circumstances, but a few years back some official got nailed for publicly referring to some people (who happened to be black) as "porch monkeys." When the heat was turned up, this guy tried to claim that the term was not racist in any way. I was hanging out at Luciane.com at the time (this was back when Luciane still allowed a few liberal troublemakers in to make things remotely interesting). So all the right wingers started posting in support of this jerk, trying to shore up his his position that "porch monkey" was a race-free phrase. I finally had enough, and just asked them if they'd ever encountered "porch monkey" being applied to anyone other than black people. Conservatives must have been more honest back in those days, because not a single person disputed my point.

This fella Westmoreland is trash, pure and simple. He needs an education, and a memorable one at that.....