Arrogance and Elitism =Uppity where I came from.

Oh now I get it.  

Arrogance and elitists are fashionable code words. Growing up in the segregated South the word they used was Uppity which was usually followed by the N....word and applied to any black man who had the temerity to speak from authority.  MLK, for instance, was uppity.  MLK spoke truth with authority and power.  Truth, power, and authority are dangerous notions especially in the head of an uppity black man.  

Barack Obama is being uppity anytime he speaks an inconvenient truth.  He stepped into a hornets nest when he reminded us that racism still exists and declined to renounce that piece of his soul. Now he’s being uppity when he reminds us that people are mad as hell about the government.  

Here's an election watching hint.  You'll always be able to tell just how uppity he is depending on how hysterical the counter attack is.  

And Bitter?  Bitter my ass.  Bitter was putting it too politely.  I'd say people are pissed. Yeah pissed is right. They're pissed off, angry, depressed, downtrodden and feel completely powerless because no matter who they elect it just gets worse for the them, the average guy, the working guy or gal.

Many of my friends are so pissed that they’ve had it with politics. They bitch a lot but they don't vote because they've been screwed over every way they turned.  The view from the bottom is that the fat cats always win and everyone else gets screwed.  So they cling to their families and community and just try to get by.  I sort of thought those were called "family values" but what the hell do I know?    

I guess we still aren’t ready to hear an inconvenient truth from an uppity N....  Sigh.

"Beneath the enormous charm and cool persona of Obama beats the heart of an arrogant man. With increasing frequency, the 46-year-old one-term senator from Illinois orates as though he resides at Olympian Heights. By his presumptuous demeanor, he suggests that he sees what no one else sees, and can do what no other person can do; he is America’s healing balm.

Even his efforts at damage control radiate arrogance. Speaking in Muncie, Indiana, after the story broke, Obama said "Lately, there has been a little, typical sort of political flare-up because I said something that everybody knows is true, which is that there are a whole bunch of folks in small towns in Pennsylvania, in towns right here in Indiana, in my home town in Illinois who are bitter."

The flare-up, you see, happened because Obama is the Great Truth-Teller amidst the masses, many of whom can’t handle the truth........."

Peter Wehner

•  A GOP relative told me this yesterday:

  "What Obama said was racist..."

  I looked at him and I made him back down. "You know better, don't try to BS me, I said..."

  by RaulVB on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:17:19 PM PDT

  •  I would have said

    "It takes one to know one", but that's just cause I'm an ass.

    by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:18:03 PM PDT

  •  isn't this diary doing the same thing

    Inserting a charge of racism into a discussion that has nothing to do with race?

    by Marcion on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:22:21 PM PDT

    •  Nothing to do with race?

      Are you kidding me?

      by RaulVB on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:22:54 PM PDT

•  That's Not What

  Senator Clinton meant.

  She was referring to Obama's early political strategy of targeting affluent Democrats over working class Democrats and seeking the votes of academics, lawyers, technology folks and the "creative class" over traditional consistencies like labor.

  Granted, Obama has changed his tune in recent months ...

  But the perfume of Obama's slights to labor still lingers over his domestic policy platform.  He originally postured himself as a libertarian-left candidate.  A lot of that is still evident in his speeches and his website, etc.

  Sen. Clinton was referring to the fact that she worked hard from the beginning to be the candidate of working people.  (Though, in fact, John Edwards was a much better cnadidate for this demographic.)

  It has nothing to do with race.

  by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:19:19 PM PDT

  •  I am afraid that you are serious!? (n/t)

    by RaulVB on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:20:20 PM PDT

    •  I Am

      Correct.

      by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:20:51 PM PDT

      •  If you believe that, you are a phony hack (n/t)

        by RaulVB on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:21:33 PM PDT

        •  Phoniness and belief are somewhat incompatible

          eh?  EITHER Bink believes it, and is in your view misguided, OR doesn't believe it and is a phony.  In all logic.  Not that logic affects candidate frenzies.

          In fact Bink's argument is very much the analysis that many, perhaps most, Edwards supporters would have made at any time in 2007.  And since Obama will need those folks to win, it might behoove you to be a little civil and try to build bridges.

          by lgmcp on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:44:38 PM PDT

        •  That's a polite charge.

          I'd say bink is a moron.

          by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:48:41 PM PDT

      •  You're in Good company w/ Zain n/t

        by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:25:25 PM PDT

  •  Yeah. I thought he targeted all voters

    and some people just went with "the name you know."  Give me examples of him "courting" the "creative class," but not the working class.  Is it because he uses big words?  Are you saying the workers can't use big words?  Sounds pretty bitter to me.

    by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:22:44 PM PDT

    •  How dare you ask Bink for facts. Shame on you!

      by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:24:18 PM PDT

      •  More Ad Hominems

        I am trying to contribute some facts to the dialog here and shed some light on Sen. Clinton's comments.  Moreover, I think that it is important for the Obama campaign to pay attention to what she is saying here, because she is highlighting a major weakness of his campaign.

        by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:28:20 PM PDT

        •  I didn't see a link to any of those "facts"

          by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:29:36 PM PDT

          •  Go For It

            http://www.google.com

            by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:30:06 PM PDT

            •  Is that a joke?

              You post a link to google, and that's supposed to back up your claims?  Do you even know what libertarian means?  Barack is a liberal.  Libertarian is completely different.

              by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:50:40 PM PDT

    •  No

      This is not true.

      Labor withheld endorsements from Obama largely until Edwards dropped out of the race.  Up until Edwards's departure, Obama was still referring to unions as "special interests" whose interference in the race was to be avoided.

      In recent months (or maybe weeks), the candidate has changed his tune, but he's still the guy who voted for tort reform (CAFA) and told us that we have to bring corporations to the table and negotiate with them where regulation is concerned.

      He's still apparently a proponent of neo-Liberal economics.  Why on earth else did he mention being "anti-trade" in his speech as one of the sins of working class Heartland Americans?

      by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:27:12 PM PDT

      •  Can you be more specific?

        If this is about class division

        What is it you think Clinton offers the working class that Obama doesn't? And what is it that obama offers the college / creative / better-off crowd that Clinton doesn't?

        Are you willing to engage at all?

        by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:35:52 PM PDT

        •  Hard Question

          I don't think that Clinton will be our nominee, so in that sense, she offers nothing.  I think that this is a good warning for Obama, though.

          He needs to completely cut the pro-free trade, pro-free markets and pro-Globalization messaging out of his platform.

          He needs to make an abrupt turn into the kind of retail politicking that Sen. Clinton excels at.  This means going into communities and telling folks, "If you make me president, I will give you this and this and this and this."

          "I will bring back jobs, I will make health-care affordable, I will keep Social Security benefits levels the same forever, etc."

          The risk that Obama is running with his, "We Can" vision is that he is not providing enough contrast between himself and John McCain in the eyes of voters who really need government to make a difference right now.

          I'm thinking specifically of Ohio and Pennsylvania ...  I think that Clinton won Ohio because she impressed (former, perhaps) industrial workers that she was going to use government to make their lives better if she were to become president.

          I have no idea at all how Obama plans to make their lives better, or if he intends to.  I have no idea how he will make my life better, in fact, beyond "opening things up for more competition generally," which I don't even really think would benefit me.

          by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:42:14 PM PDT

          •  Sorry Obama doesn't play the game of politics

            like your friend Hillary.

            "I will bring back jobs, I will make health-care affordable, I will keep Social Security benefits levels the same forever, etc."

            Obama does trade promises or favors for votes like your candidate.  He believes that together we can change things.  Sorry.  This will require you to get up off your ass and start doing things with the government instead of just hoping the government will fix everything for you.

            by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:53:34 PM PDT

            •  Collective Action

              Well ...

              Our society already has an instrument for collective action.  It's called the government.  Citizens have the right to demand that society use this instrument in their interests -- rather than solely in the interests of a tiny wealthy elite, which is how things work now.

              Barack Obama's "We Can" message likely encompasses the idea of using government to help people.

              But I think that it would be a good idea if he made it a lot clearer, for the sake of being elected, what he is going to do for certain swing state voter demographics, namely working-class (perhaps former) industrial workers in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

              My opinion only:

              Those voters need it dramatically illustrated for them, how exactly he will be different from John McCain when it comes to the bottom line.

              by bink on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:56:48 PM PDT

      •  He was talking about those airing ads under

        the auspices of 527s.

        by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:37:04 PM PDT

      •  Alright, sorry for my last post. I hadn't seen

        this one.

        I see your issues now. You think his inclusion of coporate America into the discussion is problematic. Okay, fair enough.

        by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:38:11 PM PDT

  •  So, what is the class division?

    If we're going to say Obama is the elite candidate and Clinton is the working-class candidate, I'll ask:

    What is it that Clinton offers working class people that Obama doesn't? And what is it that Obama offers college-educated, econmically succesfful, 'creative class' people that Clinton doesn't?

    What's the substance of the class-war?

    by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:24:53 PM PDT

    •  When has Hillary Clinton ever had a real job?

      Is the real question.  I am working class, I can't stand the woman.

      by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:26:21 PM PDT

      •  Rose law firm

        I am no Clinton fan but I would think that her job, initially as an associate, at the Rose Law Firm would be considered a real job.

        by VClib on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:45:13 PM PDT

        •  I mean a real job.

          Not a crooked job like lawyer.  Seriously, what do you call a thousands lawyers chained to the bottom of the ocean?

          by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:57:20 PM PDT

          •  I am not a lawyer

            but I have hired many of them and consider their work difficult and necessary.

            by VClib on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:15:34 PM PDT

            •  It's friggin joke man, ligthen up

              by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:21:26 PM PDT

              •  OK :-)

                by VClib on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:42:12 PM PDT

          •  You are an ass.

            I just don't understand the hatred of lawyers. My sister-in-law is one of those crooked lawyers - former ADA and DOC attorney - who now practices the worst of all law... Immigration. She doesn't make the money she could, but she does something that helps people.

            Or I think of my friend from back in high school who works for the government as a crooked lawyer. He helps protect worker pensions.

            Perhaps I mean a teammate of mine who is a crooked lawyer, too. One night a week we play side-by-side, the next night he volunteers doing bingo at a retirement "villiage." He does work in the patent law area, the crooked bastard.

            Over half of our founding fathers were crooked lawyers... but yeah, go ahead with your smart-ass self.  Who needs lawyers, right?

            by zeitshabba on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:24:14 PM PDT

            •  The only ass here is you buddy, its a fucking

              joke.  Get the fuck over your self.

              by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:29:28 PM PDT

              •  You are an even bigger ass than expected.

                The answer is dlh77489.
                The question is: what kind of fucktard repeats a "joke" that flopped in poor taste over and over again?

                Like you expected a different response - you kept flinging shit like the lower primate you strive to be until something stuck.

                Something tells me this kind of "situation" seems to repeat itself in your life. Good luck with that and your self-gratifying asshattery.

                by zeitshabba on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 12:37:15 PM PDT

            •  I understand the hatred of lawyers

              and yes, I should know.  After spending three years in school with folks who got law degrees, and then one more year with people who got (horrors) an advanced law degree, and then several years working with assorted lawyers, you learn that they’re a peculiar group, indeed.  Especially the tax attorneys.  Did you know there are people whose job is to help really rich folks minimize their estate tax liability (so the kids of these really rich folks can wind up with even more money)?  And somehow these people go home at night and can raise their own children without being wracked by guilt.

              Granted, some of them have wonderful spouses and really cute kids so it takes their minds off their day jobs.  And it could be worse, they could be accountants.

              by synchronicityii on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 12:12:15 PM PDT

              •  I hate you.

                I bet that, no matter what your job is, I've met someone who does a job just like yours and I hate them for it.

                Ergo, I hate you.
                You both have the same job title, and had the same schooling, clearly making the two of you indistinguishable professionally.

                Yeah, that makes great sense...

                by zeitshabba on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 12:40:12 PM PDT

                •  Please look up the word "sarchasm"

                  I'll also give you three guesses as to what my job is.

                  by synchronicityii on Wed Apr 16, 2008 at 12:42:19 PM PDT

                  •  Thats what I was hoping for...

                    ...but without the closing sarcasm tag, it left me in the lurch between.

                    I dig your peeps, as they often offer quality debate and engaging conversation. I'm but a lowly engineer...

                    by zeitshabba on Thu Apr 17, 2008 at 07:30:00 AM PDT

                    •  I forget that on the intermaweb

                      People say things so outrageous that actual sarcasm can be missed.

                      And you're an engineer, heh?  Well, here's a joke for you- a priest, a doctor, and an engineer are golfing.  The foursome ahead is taking a very long time, and they complain to the club manager.  The manager tells him "those guys are former firefighters who saved our clubhouse from burning down.  Unfortunately, they all lost their sight in the fire, but we let them play anytime they want.  Being blind, it takes them a long time, but we think it’s a small price to pay."

                      The priest says "How sad!  I’ll have my congregations pray for them and raise funds to help them."
                      The doctor says: "How terrible!  I’ll contact my colleagues and see if there is anything we can do to restore their vision."
                      The engineer says: "How come they can’t play at night?"

                      by synchronicityii on Thu Apr 17, 2008 at 07:44:46 AM PDT

                      •  Champ joke!

                        I'm sure you realize I will be adding that one to my lexicon of jokes. I'll offer a classic drinking joke in payment for that one.

                        A drunk fellow is complaining to the bartender that he just threw up on his brand new shirt and his wife is going to kill him. "Just take $20 from your wallet & tuck it in your shirt pocket" the bartender says. "When she starts yelling at you, tell her the guy who threw up on you paid for a new shirt."

                        Arriving home, the man's wife is reading him the riot act. "Honey, its okay. The guy who did this to me gave me $20 for a new shirts! Check my pocket!" Reaching in, she pulls out $40. "What is this other $20 for?" she asks.

                        Slapping his forehead, the man responds "that's from the guy who shit in my pants!"

                        by zeitshabba on Thu Apr 17, 2008 at 10:17:12 AM PDT

  •  LMAO.

    And the Hillary apologists are putting on their faux outrage because it took a second paragraph to clarify what Obama meant by bitter.

    This is rich.

    by sheddhead on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:36:48 PM PDT

  •  I agree Bink.

    These types of arguments actually harm Barack Obama.  I come by here no for amusment.  There is no discussion, just praise Obama and attack Clinton.  And even many of the praise Obama/attack Clinton diaries like this are just ignorant.

    Call me elitist, but stupid is stipid.  The argument articulated in this diary is such a reach. Not every critcism of Obama can be twisted into a racial attack.    

    by TomP on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:39:35 PM PDT

    •  And the problem Tom

      is that in the GE, when the real racial attacks start, people will just roll their eyes.
      If everything that is said against Obama is considered racist, then that loses it effectiveness.
      The boy who cried wolf and all.

      Calling someone an elitist is not racism.
      It's snobism, if thats a word lol.

       There is no discussion, just praise Obama and attack Clinton

      That is the truth.
      And usually by uid way younger than yours or mine.

      by AJsMom on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:55:55 PM PDT

•  how about all the white Dems who got elitist?

  Remember when Kerry got called elitist? Or remember hwo every single Democratic candidate before him got called elitist. Labeling every attack against Obama as "racist" only weakens the force of that retort, so when something racist is actually said and called out, people will dismiss it as more race baiting from the Obama campaign, as indeed many people already do.

  by Marcion on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:21:07 PM PDT

  •  Different, he is a "black elitist"

    Let's be honest here.

    by RaulVB on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:22:25 PM PDT

    •  so we get racism just by adding "blcak'

      As in, soon to come, black tax and spend liberal, black cut and runner, black socialist, black pro-choicer and so on? If this is the defensive plan against the Republicans, he's going to be a black also ran.

      by Marcion on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:26:20 PM PDT

      •  well, i dont know what "blcak" is

        Black Liberals Can't Attack Klansmen?  

        Just wondering.

        That said, you're right, this whole elitist thing is not a racial thing.

        by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:28:13 PM PDT

      •  Couldn't follow your train of thought, I'm afraid

        What are you trying to say?

        by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:31:38 PM PDT

      •  Well, Kristol did already try to link Obama

        to Marxism, which then leads to Communism.  I don't believe that charge was ever leveled at Kerry.

        by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:56:42 PM PDT

•  claiming that this is a racial attack on obama

  is gonna backfire.

  by Zain on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:21:09 PM PDT

  •  Thanks we already know how you feel about

    Obama, you already said he was elite, you already regurgitated talking points that were disproved.

    by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:22:57 PM PDT

    •  Focus on the convertable, shhs.

      by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:25:57 PM PDT

•  I'm black.

  That's my only point.  

  No. Seriously:  The elite thing isn't racial.  It's Clinton's desparate tack now that all her covert racial games haven't worked.

  by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:25:07 PM PDT

  •  I'm black too, Hi how ya doing.

    No seriously, I see both sides.  I've been on the receiving end.  Context is the key IMHO.

    by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:28:48 PM PDT

    •  Shhs, shush.

      O'Riely might be watching, and we can't keep showing him our differences of opinion. Or use of utensils.

      by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:30:15 PM PDT

      •  In that case...Where's my Mutha F'n Ice T?

        by Shhs on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:31:35 PM PDT

        •  Sweet or not sweet?

          n/t  ;)

          by texasmom on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:43:14 PM PDT

    •  You guys are black!

      Damn!  I was hoping there were some smart white people out there.

      by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:57:52 PM PDT

  •  I'm not sure if it's racial or not.

    I do have a sneaking suspicion that, all things being equal, a black candidate might have to worry about the elist label a little more. After all, just not speaking 'ebonics' is unfortunately enough to make you suspect / uppity in some people's eyes (black or white)

    by kingfishstew on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:28:52 PM PDT

    •  Well, you're right, but we can't scream race

      everytime something goes awry.  "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina..."  That was racist.  "He's lucky he is [black]..."  That was racist.  "That boy better not get his hand on the button."  That was, hang you by your toes and beat you like a pinata, racist.  Lets keep our eyes on the ball, people.

      by dlh77489 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:32:04 PM PDT

      •  Yes, but I do agree with diarist that this is

        going into that territory of borderline racism.

        by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:04:22 PM PDT

•  I'm white

  ..and I guarantee you it is a racist dogwhistle. This is what they are driving at.

  You should hear how people around here characterize Obama. "Snake oil salesman," "haughty," "arrogant," "cheated his way into the race," "looks down on white people," "thinks he's better than us," "he better have good security," "can we make a noose out of silk ties for him"? Seriously, it's bad.

  Those of you who are saying "I'm black, and 'elitist' is not racist"--I wish it were so, but it's not.

  by rhetoricus on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:35:44 PM PDT

•  I'm going to try

  to put this as gently as I can. Who ain't a racist? There are a couple of ways to look at the world. If you're preference is to divide by race, then the boss owns you. Its just like slavery, he tells you who to blame for your misery and does it while he takes all the money. Or you can look at the world through the lens of class and choose up sides with the multicolored, multi sexed, multi aged people who are in roughly the same shape as you are and push on it together. I had two grandfathers (I am 65 so this was many years ago). My Missouri Grandfather was a farmer, my Kansas Grandfather was a mechanic. Both of them were fishermen, who fished together and took me with them. My Kansas grandfather, who came from a long line of abolitionists, was adamant about the rights of man, and idolized John Brown and his sons, would say, "There ain't but two types of people in the world, the field hands and the house help (he used the N word). You gotta keep a close eye on the house hold help, they dress up in those suits and start to feel important." My Missouri Grandfather who idolized Colonel Quantrill and the Missouri partisans, would nod in agreement. Its not about race but they'll try to tell you it is.

  by johnmorris on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:36:26 PM PDT

•  I agree this connotation attaches

  given the context ... but don't forget that Gore and Kerry were "elitist" too.  Racism, in this case, is added to, and amplifies, a class antagonism against the intelligentsia that has long been cynically exploited by Republicans who ought to be the REAL targets of class antagonism.

  The whole liberal latte-drinking Volvo driving thing (though it's Subarus and Toyotas now ... SO out of date!)  is gonna be plastered on any Dem nominee regardless of color, gender, or decade.

  Because educated elites trying to stand in solidarity with the unfortunate are, in the media world, so much more ... embarassaing? traitorous? objectionable? than educated elites who are frankly out to screw everyone else and get ahead.

  HRC is trying to run a campaign which appeals to this traditional class antagonism, and it is taking her ever deeper into traditional Republican territory.  

  by lgmcp on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:41:46 PM PDT

•  My own boss called me uppity on Friday

  in the same conversation in which he described himself as "easygoing" and able to "get along" with people of all races and classes.

  I can't wait until the day I get to tell him about why I decided to find a new employer.

  by tbounnak on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 05:47:46 PM PDT

  •  He sounds like a first class

    jackass.

    by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:06:46 PM PDT

    •  he was explaining to me

      why he wasn't going to give me the raise I was supposed to get.

      by tbounnak on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 06:20:00 PM PDT

      •  I never get raises because they say I'm too young

        but I'm white so I don't have to deal with racist shit.  That's when I get a new job with a 5-10k raise, so I still get my raise.  Good luck.  Be sure to tell him off when you leave.  That's not a bridge that should remain in tact.

        by The Distillery on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 09:10:19 PM PDT