The Garlic: Michelle Obama

Sunday, September 07, 2008

We Have Our Winner ...

I had been meaning to post on this for awhile now.

That being, when would, either from the RNC, GOP, Right Wing Freak Show, McCain Surrogate, McCain Staff, and most specifically, raising that infamous temper of his, Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny himself, actually say, blurt out, let loose, fire way with an outright, unequivocal racial epithet.

Drumroll, please ...

Congressman Lynn Westmoreland ... C'Mon Down!

Westmoreland calls Obama ‘uppity'

"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.”

This, coming on the final day of the Republic Convention.

Steven Benen, over on The Washington Monthly noted;

Now, one is tempted to note how truly absurd it is that a Republican feels comfortable calling the Democratic candidate part of "an elitist-class" when the GOP nominee owns so many homes, he's lost count. But let's put that aside.

Lynn Westmoreland is a white, right-wing southerner who, not too long ago, took a bold stand against reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. For him to smear the first major-party African-American presidential nominee as "uppity" is ... what's the word I'm looking for here ... unacceptable.

And, Te Neshisi Coates, from The Atlantic;

UPDATE: Note that this is not anonymous "conservatives." This is not amorphous "Republican bloggers." This is not a strawman. This an elected member of the Congress who supports John McCain calling a woman from the South Side of Chicago, a mother of three two kids, and Ivy League grad, "uppity." And you guys want to rail about shadowy, uncited liberals "looking down" on Sarah Palin? You gotta be fucking kidding me. Cry me a river--and then go jump in it.

Now, to visit the Way Back Machine, for a moment, this person, Congressman Westmoreland, sponsored a bill to display the Ten Commandments, and, then, appearing on Steve Colbert's "Get To Know Your District", when asked, couldn't name the Ten Commandments.

Hmmm ... Maybe, Westmoreland didn't get the days' talking points, and what he should have said that the Obama's are "community organizers", as during the convention, that seemed to be the code-word-of-choice.

Anyway, as the winner, Congressman Westmoreland can expect to receive his Lester Maddox Lawn Jockey ornament this week.

Bonus "Uppity Community Organizer" Links

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Barack and Michelle Obama are ‘uppity,’ says Lynn Westmoreland

Washington Post: Georgia GOP Congressman Calls Obama 'Uppity'

Eugene Robinson: Racism in Plain English

Update: When You Look Up Moron In The Dictionary ...

Atlanta Journal Constitution: ‘Uppity,’ the explanation

Audio Link of "Uppity" Interview