BARACK OBAMA
The Trail
Georgia GOP Congressman Calls Obama 'Uppity'
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post
September 4, 2008
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, a conservative Republican from Georgia, let slip today what critics have been saying is the subtext of many of the attacks on Barack Obama: He's "uppity."
According to The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, Westmoreland was discussing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's acceptance speech outside the House chamber today when he veered into his thoughts on Michelle and Barack Obama.
"Just from what little I've seen of her and Mister Obama, Senator Obama, they're a member of an elitist class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.
When a reporter sought clarification on the racially loaded word, Westmoreland replied, "Uppity, yeah."
For weeks, commentators and critics have asserted that the McCain campaign's efforts to portray Obama as a vacuous celebrity smacked of historical efforts to describe African Americans seeking equality as "uppity" or not knowing "their place." The McCain campaign has heatedly denied any such thing, and has accused Obama of having "played the race card" for saying that Republicans would mock him as an outsider. Westmoreland's comments could rekindle the debate.
Westmoreland briefly gained some national attention when he sponsored legislation to post the Ten Commandments in the House and Senate chambers. Asked by Stephen Colbert in 2006 to name all ten, Westmoreland stumbled. "Um, don't murder, don't lie, don't steal," he offered, before confessing, "I can't name them."
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