This speech is great!! We need more union leaders like him.

Did you guys fix the nametag thing? I guess this is the test.

Rich Trumka, you make me weep.

Here's a little jujitsu you can use on almost any racist... Tell them that if Obama wins the blacks can't complain as much about America being racist anymore, and that all the black kids will then have a decent role model instead of the rappers and sports figures who are often poor role models.

Note that I think this argument is extremely flawed, but within the framework of a racist mind, it is coherent. More importantly, it works.

I can't watch this at work...but I will later. But on the subject of racism, the more I think about this Ifill controversy, the more it fits the pattern of Republican campaign tactics of race baiting. They may attack her objectivity regarding her book, but the underlying tactic is to show her as an African-American woman who, by virtue of her skin color, is necessarily aligned with Obama. That is the subtext I see with the tempest in a tea pot controversy that the Republicans have manufactured.

Holy crap what a speech. I'm practically in tears.

Be careful about listening to this in the office. Your co-workers will want to know what you're hootin' hollerin' and applaudin' about.

Great speech. Watching it, I couldn't help thinking about this clip.

Racism is the American wound. We need to talk about it sanely. I thought Obama's speech last spring was the beginning. Thanks.

Okay, for the verbiage low road crowd: "Fuckin-A, great speech!".

Holy cow. I knew Trumka has a reputation as a powerful speaker but this is really amazing- I don't think I've heard anybody but Bill Clinton give a political speech this good. I wish he'd go into electoral politics. We need more Democrats like him in office.

This man is my new hero. When is HE going to run for president?

And finally: someone who not only points out that no, Barack Obama is not Muslim, but also that it shouldn't matter if he were.

Thank you, Rich Trumka. I think I love you.

Moving, powerful, uplifting speech. No question about it. Let's send this out to everyone we know.

Great speech, but according to wikipedia it was given on July 1. It might be better if it was happening, like, now.

One word: wow.

-Z

One word: wow. A few more: Rich Trumka makes me proud to be a Pennsylvanian.

-Z

I remember when a very young Rich Trumka was first elected to head the United Mine Workers - back in the '70s, I think.

There was a lot of doubt about whether he was experienced and mature enough to handle what was then a union in steep decline. First thing he did was take everybody out on strike - for MONTHS. And WON.

Trumka is one of the few union leaders in the nation who still has to fight for basic safety measures to save his members' lives, and he takes that responsibility and that fight dead seriously.

Rich Trumka has balls the size of Volkswagons and he never shirks from a fight.

Shame on me for not knowing before now that he was in Obama's corner, though it should have been obvious.

Lots of passion there; excellent job. It did look to me, however, that he was preaching to the choir, mostly. The people who interrupted his speech at one point, with a standing ovation, were -- mostly -- white (OK; pink). Ie, despite their own skin colour, they didn't object to Obama's cafe au lait. I suppose they're the activists and the idea was to spread out and talk to Joe Schmoe?

...Rich Trumka makes me proud to be a Pennsylvanian.

And he makes me proud to be an American. Awesome speech.

This makes me proud!

If you're not part of the solution, you very well may be the problem.

Every race, sex, gender, etc. needs to have soldiers on the battlefield, it's the only way these cultural wars can be one. Basic human rights is something everyone should rally around.

This plain language in your face, no excuses attitude has been missing in this country. It is refreshing to see it coming from an industry man - he's right, America's racial history has played out particularly through industry - they should be the leaders of the movement.

i recommend this related post over at "brown man thinking hard"

http://simplifythepositive.blogspot.com/2008/10/afraid-of-dark-racial-animosity.html

It did look to me, however, that he was preaching to the choir, mostly.

It's perfectly fine that he was saying all this stuff to a friendly audience. Sometimes the choir needs to hear how a tune should be played, and to know how important the tune is, in order to go out and be effective in working with the people Trumka's talking about.

Chills.

I'm sitting at work in tears. What an absolutely fabulous speech!

Now that we're almost at majority-minority America, it's time to address minority racism.

Trumka lays bare the campaign strategy used by republicans for generations. His words were more profound than mere truth. I can still remeber our neighbors when i was growing up in subruban NJ.
Union workers, real joe six-packs, who wouldn't think of voting for a democrat. Not because democrtas didnt have their everyday self interests in mind - they did, and still do.
They wouldnt vote for Carter, or Mondale, or Dukakis, et. al for one simple reason: they couldnt stand the thought of one single dime of their money going into the pocket of "those no-good, lazy, n-----s." The hipocrisy of the flag waving patriots of the Repugnicant party disguts me to the core. Thank you Rich Trumka.

Very powerful speech. I especially liked the jabs at Bu$h, Cheney, and that he mentioned McCain in the same breath.

Hopefully this speech will get some media attention beyond the Internet.

All you gotta do is ask anyone inclined to vote Repub. After you listen to their "reason/s" you know that racism is the underlying reason. I think it's just that simple. In a lot of these cases the individual doesn't even realize it. We still have so very long to go.

This speech gave me cold chills. I would hope that it motivates people to realize that racism is alive and will continue to do well unless enough people examine themselves very closely.