Think Progress

Rep. Westmoreland: Obama is ‘uppity.’

The Hill reports that today, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) used the racially-loaded term “uppity” to describe Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL):

westmore.jpg 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.”




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81 Responses to “Rep. Westmoreland: Obama is ‘uppity.’”

  1. raynman Says:

    Wow... throws in both the 'elite' and the racist card in the same sentence! This man will go far in politics....


  2. Uncle Ho Says:

    "uppity" = not knowing his proper place, Jim Crow returns.


  3. konchster Says:

    Jeez that's as close as anyone I've heard putting like they really think He knew it would be political suicide to use the word he was thinking when he said that


  4. LibertyLover Says:

    Hmmm. Why didn't he just call him a "Makaka" and get it over with?

    Does that make him a "Cracker"?


  5. NOLIESPLEASE Says:

    I heard Mrs. Westmoreland nick name was "uppity"....she would shove anything greater then 8" up her C*&&$% to amuse herself while waiting to be asked out. What's up there...uppity????


  6. paleolib Says:

    I already thought the RNC resembled a Klan rally. This statement adds another ingredient. All we need to complete the ensemble is for McCain to come out in a white hood and set fire to a cross.


  7. Uncle Ho Says:

    methinks the Rethuglic party is JUST ABOUT READY to use the n-word.


  8. Gregor Samsa Says:

    "Obama is uppity" said Westmoreland as he put his pointed hood on.

    I guess the next step is to threaten Obama with a noose...


  9. Uncle Fester Lurks Says:

    test


  10. RobertSeattle Says:

    Gawd I hate this "ELITE" crap from the GOPers. This weekend I'm going to watch THE ELITES of Football play. I look forward to October when I can watch THE ELITE teams from Baseball play in the playoffs. I look forward to when ELITE Astronauts take off on the Space Shuttle. All the Generals in our military are ELITES - they made it through the ranks to the top of their profession. Why is the GOP making a mockery of the best?


  11. vandrop Says:

    Never mind the use of uppity (bad enough) but how about a congressman who cannot put an intelligable sentence together!


  12. Uncle Fester Lurks Says:

    I some how doubt that the slow witted dim bulb Lynn Westmoreland even knows what the word uppity means. Just like he didn't know one single commandment. By the way is he related to that colossal failure of a general, General Westmoreland of the Vietnam war?


  13. Bobwurst Says:

    republicans are racists, it's that simple. whenever you engage a republican from now on, push them to either own or repudiate the "Obama is uppity" meme. The every day republicans you meet on the street need to know that they are responsible for their party. they vote them into office. they support them.


  14. the east beast Says:

    Expect this type of attack to come more frequently as the election draws closer. Right-wingers become even more bigoted when they know their backs are against the wall.


  15. Bobwurst Says:

    Obama is "elite" but cindy wears $300,000.00 worth of clothes on Tuesday night...right, it's Obama who's the elitist.

    http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/cindy-mccains-300000-outfit.html


  16. tokin librul Says:

    So, you figger Tom Sowell, or ex-lt.gov Steele of MD, or even Clarence "Uncle" Thomas thinks Obama's "uppity?"

    I wish they'd say so...


  17. Bobwurst Says:

    Guido, let's ask dryll, he claims to be a black man. Is he offended by the racist remarks his leaders make when they think the help is busy elsewhere?


  18. misshusseinmolly Says:

    Wow -- a white guy from Georgia refers to a black man and woman as "uppity". Did we go back to the 1950's or something?

    This sparks a few questions (such as the obvious one about when Westmoreland plans to join the 21st century). Would Westmoreland have said that about a white candidate and his wife? My guess is no -- and if not, then he is being blatantly racist. Did Westmoreland provide any examples of Obama's "elitism", or did he just think (like so many others) that if it's repeated enough times, it will be true? Or does he think that any black person who "doesn't know his place" is an elitist? Just like they're "uppity"?

    I hope Westmoreland is soundly condemned by his fellow Republicans for his remarks. But I'm not holding my breath.


  19. Count Istvan Says:

    Why can't they do this shit at the convention? Come on McCain call Obama an Uppity Negro.


  20. DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    Bush started it with his comments about "The Angry Left."

    Up next?

    Latinos or gays? I am betting Latinos!


  21. hussein toasterhead Says:

    "...they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity"
    _______

    So, if I'm parsing this correctly, the Obamas are not actually elitists themselves. They're just members of an individual who's elitist. Like you snap the Obamas together with the Bidens and maybe a Kennedy or two and assemble them into some sort of arugula-powered Voltron.


  22. DwH Says:

    The GOP mocks "elite" Americans because their base is undereducated and ignorant. They must fire up the inherent jealousy and envy of those voters.

    Thanks to the "election" of an ignorant, know-nothing like Bush, this country has shown its disdain for hardwork and study. We are losing badly on the world stage not only because of Bush's idiocy and imperialism but because we no longer value intelligence, honesty, strength, or achievement.

    It has all been part of Rove's divisive plotting. Keep us hating each other (with some special hate for those who can summon a vocabulary greater than a nine-year-old) and we are much easier to control.

    Blame the republicans: it's simply the truth.


  23. Shayne Says:

    When Rep. Westmoreland finished calling Senator Obama "uppity" he said he had to go build a cross to burn on some new neighbor's lawn. Can't have those uppity type people voting in his district.


  24. texaslady Says:

    This shocks me I had hoped America had learned from the past and were way past this load of crap. This man needs to be corrected by his Party. Michelle and Obama are hard working young people who got where they are by work, not by daddy's contacts. We should be proud of them.


  25. hussein toasterhead Says:

    DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    Up next?

    Latinos or gays? I am betting Latinos!

    September 4th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
    ______

    Nah, they need the Cuban vote - they're not going to touch Latinos this year. With Palin and the Christian Taliban riding shotgun on the Straight Talk shuttle bus, you can bet the anti-gay rhetoric is going to be fast and furious between now and November.


  26. Marie Says:

    And a cracker would be the one to say it too.


  27. tom Says:

    I think my post on the last thread bears repeating here. This is exactly what I was talking about:

    attack the opposition on your weak point. (case in point, the dems that grew up on the farm are elitists)

    I think that it is darker and more devious than that. However, it is still Rovian.

    There is a developing pattern of speaking in republican “code” and it has definite racial undertones.

    Sen. Westmoreland (R - Georgia) described Obama as “uppity” recently. When pressed, he changed his description to “elitist”. This is becoming the republican catch-word for blacks who don’t know their place. It’s the typical Southern strategy that sank McNumbNuts with the famous phone polling in South Carolina in 2000.

    I am also beginning to think that the demonizing of “community organizer” has a similar purpose. Failin’ Palin would have us believe that they are unaccountable trouble-makers. And don’t forget that Martin Luther King was a community organizer.

    The republicans are masters at playing the fear card and they are going to be working it hard. They will lie, cheat and steal to retain their power.

    The biggest lie of all has to do with taxes and social programs. They prey on the fear of the upper class that they will lose what they have — and the message spills over to the lower classes who fear they won’t get what they want.

    The republican ticket is a symbol and tool of this soft bigotry. It must be defeated.


  28. DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    Uncle Fester Lurks Says:

    I some how doubt that the slow witted dim bulb Lynn Westmoreland even knows what the word uppity means. Just like he didn’t know one single commandment. By the way is he related to that colossal failure of a general, General Westmoreland of the Vietnam war?
    -----
    Hello? Georgia? Get it? You think this was a coincidence?

    Palin calls him Cosmopolitan and draws the Urban/Rural line in the sand. This knucklehead goes for the throat as to make it clear what is happening. Latinos and gays next!


  29. Shayne Says:

    Well heck, if he wasn't calling Obama uppity he'd have to call him either a radical or a criminal. Can't have people thinking that black people are intelligent and work for a living to try an make a better life for their family. Only white people do that.


  30. RUCerious Says:

    Careful now, someone 'uppity' may move in next door, and there go the property values, right Mr Klangressman?


  31. Marie Says:

    There were very few blacks in attendance at the Repukkk convention. We should not be surprised that the racists feel emboldened to say what's really on their minds.

    What a bunch of redneck bigots.


  32. RUCerious Says:

    Isn't 'Lynn' a girls name? Just sayin, he may have issues...


  33. Uncle Ho Says:

    Count; Don't count(pun?) on McPutz using the n-word himself, that's what his surrogate attack dogs are for.

    We all know that Blush Limpdick is just watering at the mouth to use the n-word.

    C'mon, Limpdick, we know you can't wait to use the n-word.


  34. Styve Says:

    Shall we all call Westmoreland's office for a translation? I don't think s/he even knows why uppity is a slur, from the structure of that sentence.


  35. hivanh Says:

    I know I shouldn't be, but I'm speechless. Holy crap. This is 2008!


  36. 666lattes Says:

    He didn't say that they were uppity... he was just making an observation that the elitist class individual (what?) that they belong to thinks they're uppity.

    And they don't burn crosses... they light them.

    Jeesh! You guys are ignorant.

    /supa-snark


  37. Zooey Says:

    Wow, I didn't think the "uppity" card would get played this far from election day.

    Ni**er isn't far behind...


  38. stateofthedivision Says:

    More divide and conquer class language. Republicans should know the upper class well. I guess they don't like people crashing their "party".

    I think it's time for a whole lotta folks to get "uppity" and head to the polls...


  39. Uncle Ho Says:

    snark?

    Snark?

    did someone just say snark?


  40. JBaddo Says:

    the ignorant populace votes for ignorant representatives. I hope Vladimir Putin teaches bully and cowardly America a military lesson.


  41. Shayne Says:

    They might as well use the n word. We all know what they mean anyway. McCain has some nerve accusing Obama of using the race card and the using the sexism card everywhere.


  42. misshusseinmolly Says:

    hussein toasterhead Says
    September 4th, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    So, if I’m parsing this correctly, the Obamas are not actually elitists themselves. They’re just members of an individual who’s elitist. Like you snap the Obamas together with the Bidens and maybe a Kennedy or two and assemble them into some sort of arugula-powered Voltron.
    _____________________________________________________

    Thanks -- you just made me laugh so hard that my co-workers all came rushing up to me to see what was wrong.

    I predict this will be the "must have" toy this Christmas.


  43. stateofthedivision Says:

    A friend sent this:

    "Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor."


  44. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Aww... give the man a break... Goergia's a war zone these days... Keeeerist... they've been invaded by Russia. Westmoreland's just stressed out.

    Who's next on the Ruskies' radar? Alabama? Louisiana's got oil...


  45. Shayne Says:

    I haven't seen any of the Stepford African American Republican pundits this week. I guess they weren't allowed anywhere near Minneapolis. Don't want the base seeing them in person and getting all scared.


  46. Viking Says:

    Not only is he a racist, he's an idiot.

    Nobody thinks of himself as "uppity"--it's others who deride someone that way, in this case it's Westmoreland making the call.


  47. spencers mom Says:

    misshusseinmolly Says:

    Wow — a white guy from Georgia refers to a black man and woman as “uppity”. Did we go back to the 1950’s or something?

    MissMolly, some folks never left the 1950's and still long for the 1850's. And it gets passed down from generation to generation. Sadly, it is not confined just to the south.

    But I guess we all understand what McStain meant when he said:

    "We are all Georgians now."

    Anyone who thinks McStain doesn't use the n-word when he thinks no one is listening is delusional.

    PEACE


  48. tokin librul Says:

    So, if I’m parsing this correctly, the Obamas are not actually elitists themselves. They’re just members of an individual who’s elitist. Like you snap the Obamas together with the Bidens and maybe a Kennedy or two and assemble them into some sort of arugula-powered Voltron.
    September 4th, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    Actually, the Obamas are parvenus as far as being elitists is concerned. They will certainly must now be considered 'elites,' and according to the illustrious Arthur Silber, Obama's doing everything he can to turn himself into a "real" (read 'white, male') elitist, because the truth of the matter is that only white, male elites are ever entitled to wield "real" power in the USofA.
    Quoting a source Silber quotes extensively:

    Obama doesn’t represent a new system or the new way of life we dreamed of and fought for and that has been suppressed - he represents the old one. He represents a system that is fundamentally rooted in exploitation, oppression and destruction on a global scale, and he is living proof that no fundamental change for the better can – or will - come about under the system he represents and upholds. It doesn’t work that way. To tell the truth is to betray the system, and he can’t bring himself to do it, even though he is far too conscious not to know it.

    Attaining authentic freedom requires, as its barest starting point, the naming of what keeps us subjugated. What keeps us subjugated is the very system Obama wants to rule. The system, even with Barack Obama as its first Black emperor, is not our hope. It’s our enemy, the enemy of the world, and, because this system is rapidly undermining the ability of the planet to foster and sustain life, it is the enemy of all Life on Earth. This is exactly the understanding that the Christian fascists like Weyrich and Heubeck wanted to crush out of our awareness, and the lack of such awareness is exactly what Barack Obama depends on if he is to remain a symbol of the impossible dream that the system can be something other than what it is.


  49. fuzzwald Says:

    I've always believed that the U.S. has never been more than a hair's breadth from overt racism. Under the right conditions it will come back with a vengeance.


  50. aquarius2 Says:

    Isn't there some kind of code of ethics for a sitting US REPRESENTATIVE? Nancy Pelosi better do something about this instead of saying how disappointed she is.


  51. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Bobwurst Says:
    Obama is “elite” but cindy wears $300,000.00 worth of clothes on Tuesday night…right, it’s Obama who’s the elitist.

    That's not exactly accurate. Most of that amount was the estimated value of the diamond earrings she was wearing. But, still, she was wearing a $3,000 dress, and that's bad enough.


  52. Bob Says:

    “Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor.”

    There's a backfire waiting to happen. He's already being mocked for being 'the Savior'. He's already being painted as the anti-crist. (Unfair, after 8 yrs of bush) It won't help him to compare him to Jesus, it will only feed the fanatics.


  53. TeleMan Says:

    RobertSeattle Says:
    Why is the GOP making a mockery of the best?

    Because the GOP are the worst.


  54. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    RobertSeattle Says:

    Why is the GOP making a mockery of the best?
    ___________

    Because they don't have a single, solitary success from the last eight years to point to. Every last thing they've touched has turned to total Cheney on them...

    But... ***drum roll...***

    THEY"RE FED UP!!! AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!

    Thank youuuuuu... thank you verrry much!!!


  55. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    Wow! No trolls on this one huh? I guess even they know how ridiculous of a debate that would've been. One point they could've made was, to a slack-jawed yokel rep from Georgia, any black man that went to college would seem uppity.


  56. Cal Malenky Says:

    this is the same tool who wants the 10 Commandments displayed in public buildings but when Steve Colbert asked him to name them, he couldn't think of more than 3.


  57. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    The hilarious thing about what they wanted to display in court building was nothing more than a replica of a movie prop form a Heston movie, of course the next movie he made he kissed a "damn dirty ape."


  58. hussein toasterhead Says:

    Cal Malenky Says:

    this is the same tool who wants the 10 Commandments displayed in public buildings but when Steve Colbert asked him to name them, he couldn’t think of more than 3.

    September 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    ______________

    AHAHAHAHA - thank you, I'd forgotten about that...


  59. 666lattes Says:

    "What keeps us subjugated is the very system Obama wants to rule."

    BS! As corrupt as it currently is, the "system" is merely the sum of its parts and those parts can be replaced with things that can be used to do "good".


  60. pete Says:

    Why doesn't the GOP just come clean and pass out white hoods for the remainder of the convention?


  61. Bartolo Says:

    This guy looks like a young Tony "Malox" Blankley.


  62. the Lone Voice of Reason Says:

    What has he accomplished? He was in the Keating Five, and he is able unite the entire republican party under one burning cross.


  63. Leftside Annie Says:

    Wow. I know they're all just *dying* to call Barack Obama a n****r.

    I just wonder which of them is going to be the first to slip up and actually do it. It's just a matter of time, IMO.

    Disgusting barstids, all of 'em.


  64. Rich H Says:

    I always figured the rights problem with Obama was his color. I've lived all over the U.S. and never knew there were so many racists (until the polling numbers confirmed it).
    The most racist place I've ever been to is Texas, but now I guess Georgia will top the list.


  65. desertflower1 Says:

    My "guess" as to why he called Obama "uppity" is that, Obama is intelligent,humble, well read, articulate, compassionate,etc...I'm guessing the Rep. from Georgia is "projecting" all the qualities that Obama has that he WISHES he had. What a low, condesending remark! Something that I think we'll hear a lot of in the coming months...buy stock in Pepto! That should cover just about everything...


  66. Klem Kiddilehopper Says:

    Here's Westmoreland on the Steve Colbert Show earlier this year, a real "outside the box" thinker and Rhodes Scholar:

    http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=70730


  67. bonzo 1958 Says:

    And the media complains about dems saying stupid things. This fool takes the cake.


  68. nycbassist Says:

    I just called and left a message telling him to resign, and that he was a racist with no place in the United States Government.


  69. Game of Life Says:

    I know Sen. Obama has been called worse by better people.

    These racist are so early 20th century.

    Does he realize he just insulted the majority of people on this earth?

    It's a joke that only the repugs find funny.


  70. IBTunion4obama Says:

    Obama is "Elitist"?
    Are you joking? John McCain owns seven houses and that's somehow NOT elitist? Riiight.


  71. Cal Malenky Says:

    Watched that Colbert video again. What a moron.


  72. EugeneDebs Says:

    DwH Says:

    The GOP mocks “elite” Americans because their base is undereducated and ignorant. They must fire up the inherent jealousy and envy of those voters.
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    That is what it is. They are playing to the same demographic as the Wienerdog Savage does. Those kids who sat at the back of the classroom and hated the smart kids who could read and knew stuff. Now they are pathetic and jump at the chance to hear weak rationales as to why they are BETTER than those elitist brainiacs. They NEED to be better than somebody, ANYBODY because they are sad and pitiful. THAT is who they are playing to when they strum that anti intellectual chord


  73. questioneverything Says:

    What a very bad thing for an incumbent congressman running for re-election to say. Might have to send his opponent Stephen Camp some cash.


  74. And the beat goes on Says:

    Rich H Says:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I always figured the rights problem with Obama was his color. I’ve lived all over the U.S. and never knew there were so many racists (until the polling numbers confirmed it).
    The most racist place I’ve ever been to is Texas, but now I guess Georgia will top the list.

    **I had to stay in Alabama (Birmingham) for a few monthsfor a job I had and I seriously thought I had stepped into an alternate reality. Some of the racism was subtle but the "older" population were overt. They even hated people from other parts of the country! I was constantly asked "Yeow from the naath, a'nt you?" I was constantly dumbfounded that people still clung to these ideals.


  75. And the beat goes on Says:

    Barack and Michelle Obama are ‘uppity,’ says Lynn Westmoreland
    Thursday, September 4, 2008, 03:50 PM

    The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who was born and raised in the South, said Thursday that he’s never heard the word “uppity” used in a racially loaded fashion — and meant nothing more than “elitist” when he applied it to Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

    “If anyone read more into it, no undercurrent was intended,” Westmoreland spokesman Brian Robinson said this evening.

    http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/09/04/barack_and_michelle_obama_are.html

    **In the words of Peggy Noonan, "Bullshit!"


  76. wizard2000 Says:

    Rep. Westmoreland,

    Have you been hanging around Bush, Cheney, Addington, Mukasey and McStain too long?

    (To name just a few of the culture of corruption, deceit and runaway-hubris Republicans)

    Uppity is uppity, and arrogant is arrogant, and it is obvious, Rep. Westmoreland, that you've been hanging around too long with the actual uppity/arrogant class members.


  77. krdaddy Says:

    I was wondering who be the first Republican idiot to call
    Obama uppity or worse in a public format. Now I know.


  78. Max-1 Says:

    .

    Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) just had his Macaca moment.

    .


  79. nygenxer Says:

    If we on the left had a Karl Rove-type scumbag on our side, right now he'd be printing up "Obama is Uppity" t-shirts as a reminder of the blantant racism of some Repugnicans. It'll be interesting to see if the GOP reprimands Westmoreland.

    Resignation, please.


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