Bill and [Hillary Clinton] sought to capitalize on American social history by bringing the color line front and center to the presidential campaign. They called [Barack Obama] a "kid" (boy), "inexperienced" (no president enters office with presidential experience) and "uppity" (a servile Negro who has forgotten his place).

The Clinton gambit also forced the press to await a defense from Obama. Meanwhile, pundits of all political stripes, ethnicities and religions flooded print and electronic mass media discussing the spurious subject of "race." Not only did the onus of "race baiting" become Obama's to defend against, he also countered with a major, nationally televised address on the notion of race and American social history, and hope for the future.

"Uppity" has gotten stuck to Obama like something dried in cement. Besides older white women Democrats, the Clinton machine went after "blue collar workers" as in white, mainly non-executive types who never attended or finished college. The double whammy of' "uppity" they got included Bill and Hillary telling them that Obama doesn't know anything about their plight because he is "an elitist," a person who considers himself above them.

Political behavior
Candidates