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UNION REP DEFENDS OBAMA AGAINST RACISM: AFL-CIO leader says economy should trump culture bias.

(October 6, 2008)

*As the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain prepares to step up personal attacks on Democratic rival Barack Obama, a YouTube clip has resurfaced of AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka defending Obama against voters whose only issue with the candidate is his race.

Trumka, who is white, spoke out against such attitudes in a passionate speech delivered to his fellow union members at a steelworkers convention on July 1.

"There's not a single good reason for any worker, especially any union member, to vote against Barack Obama. And there's only one really, really bad reason to vote against Barack Obama, and that's because he's not white," Trumka said to sustained applause.

He amplifies his point by recalling a conversation in his Pennsylvania hometown with a friend who was a die-hard Democrat, but refused to vote for Obama because he is black.

Trumka said he told the woman: "Look around this town. Nemacolin is a dying town. There's no jobs here. Our kids are moving away because there's no future here. And here's a man, Barack Obama, who's gonna fight for people like us. And you wanna tell me that you won't vote for him because of the color of his skin? Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind, lady?'"

"We can't tap dance around the fact that there's a lot of folks out there just like that woman, and a lot of them are good union people. They just can't get past the idea that there's something wrong with voting for a black man," said Trumka. "Well those of us who no better can't afford to sit silently or look the other way while it's happening." [View clip below.]

AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka