Westmoreland continues to hide behind his press secretary. He also just won the designation as the worst Republican in Congress at the game taboo. Check out his press secretary's explanation in Westmoreland's local newspaper.
"He was repeating a sentiment that Republicans have discussed -- that Obama seems somewhat arrogant," Robinson said. "And that is the dictionary definition" of uppity.
Full story below.
Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, R-Grantville, has been taking a lot of flack for calling Barack and Michelle Obama "uppity."
But the congressman didn't intend there to be any racial overtones to the comment, said his spokesman, Brian Robinson.
"Lynn was using the term as a synonym for elitist. He also used the phrase 'elite class,'" Robinson said.
Congressman didn't intend the overtones to the comment, huh? Well, listen to what the press secretary says next.
"He was repeating a sentiment that Republicans have discussed -- that Obama seems somewhat arrogant," Robinson said. "And that is the dictionary definition" of uppity.
Hmmm. A sentiment that Republicans have discussed and dictionary definitions of uppity. Doesn't that conjure the disturbing, and somewhat funny, notion of lots of Republicans combing the dictionary and thesaraus for any code word for uppity? I am guessing that Westmoreland is not too good at the game taboo.
Also, check out the response to the paper by his Democratic opponent, Stephen Camp
Westmoreland's Democratic opponent, Stephen Camp, said he will take Westmoreland at his word "on what the Webster's definition of uppity is."
"But anyone who has lived and grown up in the South and in Georgia knows what that word means in the vernacular, and what it has meant for the past 50 and longer years in the discourse of race relations here," Camp said.
The comments were "insensitive at best," said Camp.
"If he did not know, then he should have known what it meant, giving the constituency that he purports to represent," Camp said.
"I would encourage him to talk to a cross section of the district he represents and ask them if it has any racial connotation to it."