Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term "uppity" to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday.He meant it, he really meant it. Amazing. Really, I'm stunned. Does Westmoreland know what year it is? What century it is?
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.”
One Drop, writing in the Too Sense blog, had this to say:
Only In The GOP's America could the fact that a black man went to Columbia and Harvard be considered a strike against him. The GOP's response to Obama shows very clearly that they do not, in fact, believe in self-reliance, they do not believe in the value of hard work and individual effort. he GOP's response to Obama shows very clearly that they do not, in fact, believe in self-reliance, they do not believe in the value of hard work and individual effort.Ta-Nehisi Coates, also writing on the matter, further relates that
...the one time the GOP and/or the American Right was confronted with an honest-to-God, bootstraps-pulling black man who did everything they claim that they want to see black people do, they attacked him for doing those things.
Uppity is exactly the term white thugs and terrorists used to use for high-achieving blacks--right before they burned down their neighborhoods and ran them out of town. Only this time, they're going for the whole country.This is what we're up against in this election. This is the naked face of the opposition, the face of racism and sexism, the face of fear. This is the face once hidden behind a hood, now unafraid to show itself in the light. Two Ivy League-educated, responsible, highly successful African-Americans, and they're called "boy" and "uppity".
This is why only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black tonight. This is why African-Americans vote Democratic over 90% of the time. This is why I found Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama last night were so offensive, why John McCain's paying lip service to the NAACP--after voting against the MLK holiday--was so transparent, why Palin's nomination itself was so pitiful and contemptible.
I'm angry. VERY angry. I could rant and rage, but I'm going to hit them where it really hurts: I'm sending another check to the Obama campaign.
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2 comments:
Apparently he tried to leave himself some leeway by saying that they think they're uppity. I guess that means that technically he didn't say they were uppity. Skating dangerously close to the Bill Clinton "it depends on what is means" edge. But this is so much more contemptible.
Obama's candidacy is bringing out the best and the worst in people.
Yeah, but like Clinton, we know that he meant it! You are right, though, Obama's candidacy and this whole election year is bringing the best and the worst out in people.
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