Westmoreland calls Obama ‘uppity'

[Ender]

Well, at least they are being overt now

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.”

Other Democrats have charged that the Republican campaign to paint the Illinois senator as an “elitist” is racially charged, and accused them of using code words for “uppity” without using the word itself.

In August, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) told reporters, “When I hear the word ‘elitist’ linked with Barack Obama, to me, that is a code word for 'uppity.' I find it extremely offensive and John McCain should know better.”

Political consultant David Gergen, who has worked in both Republican and Democratic White Houses, said on ABC’s "This Week" that “As a native of the south, I can tell you, when you see this Charlton Heston ad, 'The One,' that's code for, 'He's uppity, he ought to stay in his place.' Everybody gets that who is from a Southern background.”

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.

Campaigning against the first black major-party nominee has already created some problems for Republicans.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that Obama's middle name – Hussein – is relevant to the public discourse surrounding his candidacy, saying in March that if Obama were elected, "Then the radical Islamists, the al Qaeda, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror."

At an April 12 event in his district, Kentucky Rep. Geoff Davis (R) said of Obama: “I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country.”

Davis sent a letter of apology to Obama in which he described his remark as a “poor choice of words.”

Westmoreland originally supported former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination. He now supports McCain, but missed an August fundraiser for the nominee because he was vacationing with his family.

Yeah, between this and the "faked soldier's funeral to promote the GOP" stunt I'm gonna go take a few asprin and go lay down.

[Pulp Hero]

At an April 12 event in his district, Kentucky Rep. Geoff Davis (R) said of Obama: “I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country.”

Huh, what simulation?

Also, yeah JFK was a fucking loser for not pushing the button. What a pussy.

[FSTargetDrone]

Campaigning against the first black major-party nominee has already created some problems for Republicans.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that Obama's middle name – Hussein – is relevant to the public discourse surrounding his candidacy, saying in March that if Obama were elected, "Then the radical Islamists, the al Qaeda, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror."

At an April 12 event in his district, Kentucky Rep. Geoff Davis (R) said of Obama: “I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country.”

Davis sent a letter of apology to Obama in which he described his remark as a “poor choice of words.”

It's not going to happen, but I'd love to see the Obama campaign run an ad showing these words, on screen, with no music, just big letters on a blank background, attributed to those who spoke them. Then have Obama come on screen and say something like.

"This is what we are running against. These words, these attitudes. These bigotries. Join us and let's change the tone. Let's change our country for the better. Let's show the world how much we can change."

[FSTargetDrone]

Whoops, sorry, the above quote box is obviously from the story Ender provided, NOT what Ender said himself.

[Pulp Hero]

Quick addition.

No matter how much I try, in my "...that boy's finger..." is automatically read in a long southern drawl with an emphasis on "boy".

[General Zod]

Wow. . . .it's like they were restraining themselves from throwing in the word "nigger". The racist dogwhistle couldn't be more blatant if they were using a foghorn.

[FSTargetDrone]

Wow. . . .it's like they were restraining themselves from throwing in the word "nigger". The racist dogwhistle couldn't be more blatant if they were using a foghorn.

Just wait. I have no doubt at all that one of McCain's big endorsers or supporters is going to be caught on tape having recently said something like this.

[Invictus ChiKen]

My God they REALLY REALLY think they can say and do whatever they want and get away with it.

Eight years and still I can be surprised by these antics. Still I'm hoping this is desperation I am seeing with all the whistles being blown to try and get out the racist vote against Obama.

[Masami von Weizegger]

My God they REALLY REALLY think they can say and do whatever they want and get away with it.

They can, really. This won't be big news or anything. By tomorrow this may as well never have happened.

[TithonusSyndrome]

Wow. . . .it's like they were restraining themselves from throwing in the word "nigger". The racist dogwhistle couldn't be more blatant if they were using a foghorn.

Just wait. I have no doubt at all that one of McCain's big endorsers or supporters is going to be caught on tape having recently said something like this.

Sure. Will they suffer fallout for it? Their demographic has already been scaled back largely into territory occupied exclusively by people who think like them or consider them less of a threat than the Democrats, and it doesn't help that the media will probably not pick it up for more than a blurb anyways.

I'm damn near through hoping for likely PR gaffes like this from the GOP, just because they always amount to nothing.

[Pablo Sanchez]

No matter how much I try, in my "...that boy's finger..." is automatically read in a long southern drawl with an emphasis on "boy".

The word "boy" itself, used to indicate a black man, is itself pretty racially charged. In one sense it can be seen as emphasizing Obama's youth and purported inexperience, but in another sense it's a racist dog whistle.

[FSTargetDrone]

The word "boy" itself, used to indicate a black man, is itself pretty racially charged. In one sense it can be seen as emphasizing Obama's youth and purported inexperience, but in another sense it's a racist dog whistle.

Even if we discount the possibility of it being racially-tinged, Obama is a grown man and not a boy by any stretch, especially compared to Davis who is only 49 years old. Hardly decades ahead of Obama.

You're right, everyone who's grown up in the US knows exactly what it means when a white guy calls a black man "boy."

[RedImperator]

Wow. . . .it's like they were restraining themselves from throwing in the word "nigger". The racist dogwhistle couldn't be more blatant if they were using a foghorn.

Once the words "uppity" and "boy" appear, what you have isn't a dog whistle. It's a regular person whistle. I don't think these were two Republicans trying to send coded messages to the base, I think these were two racists who slipped up. I'll bet you a hundred dollars someone like them is going to let an n-bomb fly before November.

As for Steve King, he's just a worthless piece of shit who'll probably get reelected by 30 points.

[General Zod]

Once the words "uppity" and "boy" appear, what you have isn't a dog whistle. It's a regular person whistle. I don't think these were two Republicans trying to send coded messages to the base, I think these were two racists who slipped up. I'll bet you a hundred dollars someone like them is going to let an n-bomb fly before November.

True. But it's easy enough to see this being spun this as being non-racist for Republitard sympathizers, or some innocent "slip of the tongue" that they didn't perceive to be racist at the time they said it. It's not as if this will land them in nearly the same degree of hot water that using the N word would.

[The Yosemite Bear]

My God they REALLY REALLY think they can say and do whatever they want and get away with it.

They can, really. This won't be big news or anything. By tomorrow this may as well never have happened.

either that or they will try and blame it on the opposition for trying to play the race card....

[RedImperator]

Once the words "uppity" and "boy" appear, what you have isn't a dog whistle. It's a regular person whistle. I don't think these were two Republicans trying to send coded messages to the base, I think these were two racists who slipped up. I'll bet you a hundred dollars someone like them is going to let an n-bomb fly before November.

True. But it's easy enough to see this being spun this as being non-racist for Republitard sympathizers, or some innocent "slip of the tongue" that they didn't perceive to be racist at the time they said it.

Republitard sympathizers aren't going to vote for Obama or any other Democrat anyway, so I'm beyond caring what they think. Beyond that, you'd have to be a credulous idiot to believe when a southerner calls a black man uppity, he's not being racist. The world, sadly, is full of credulous idiots, but for everyone else, this is impossible to spin.

It's not as if this will land them in nearly the same degree of hot water that using the N word would.

Well, no, because the N word is taboo in a way "uppity" and "boy" aren't; it would be like a politician saying "fuck" in public fifty years ago. But it's coming; if I believed in God, I'd pray it was coming from John McCain, in the last debate, but I'll settle for any moron with an "R" after his name who choses to reveal his true colors in an election year.

[Masami von Weizegger]

either that or they will try and blame it on the opposition for trying to play the race card....

Which is why you're more likely to see the Obama team fall over themselves to excuse it as well, almost as fast as the Republicans should, rather than decry it. They are scared to death of being accused of playing the race card and any other 'negative tactics'.

[Stargate Nerd]

It's funny how in the face of such a high occurrence of these types of incidents , Southerners can still get offended when you mention that the South is racist.

[The Yosemite Bear]

either that or they will try and blame it on the opposition for trying to play the race card....

Which is why you're more likely to see the Obama team fall over themselves to excuse it as well, almost as fast as the Republicans should, rather than decry it. They are scared to death of being accused of playing the race card and any other 'negative tactics'.

No shit, but it's "Interesting" to see the play book come out, and these ham handed tactics come into play so badly. no self respecting desciple of Niccolo Machevelli can look at american politics since reagan and not wince at how badly they have been handled.

---edit---
though from the title I was supprised and somehow thinking that the Westmoreland who was the appologist for Vietnam was somehow still around and causing trouble.

[Patrick Degan]

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that Obama's middle name – Hussein – is relevant to the public discourse surrounding his candidacy, saying in March that if Obama were elected, "Then the radical Islamists, the al Qaeda, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror."

Hmm... Insane babble.

[apocolypse]

Damn....that is pretty bad. There's no way you can call a black man "uppity" without it being blatantly racist.

[That NOS Guy]

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that Obama's middle name – Hussein – is relevant to the public discourse surrounding his candidacy, saying in March that if Obama were elected, "Then the radical Islamists, the al Qaeda, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror."

So, uh, does that mean this whole charade will be over then? All we have to do is elect a black guy and they pack up? Sweet deal.

[FSTargetDrone]

So, uh, does that mean this whole charade will be over then? All we have to do is elect a black guy and they pack up? Sweet deal.

Dontcha know? If Obama wins, they will have a man on the inside!

[Edi]

You learn something new every day. Before this election cycle, I was unaware of the racial overtones of the word uppity in American discourse. And now that I have been aware of it for some time, it's just amazing how freely they throw it around.

[Elfdart]

The biggest bogeyman in American politics is the Uppity Negro. That's why I predict that the Republitards' next race baiting smear will be as follows:

Obama wants to raise my taxes for slavery reparations!