Labor delegate from Wisconsin fears race an issue for Obama

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 27, 2008 at 3:57 p.m.

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Wisconsin union activist Paula Dorsey had been a Hillary Clinton delegate, but she has thrown her support to Barack Obama now that he is expected to be nominated as the Democratic candidate.

The Milwaukee-based president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 48 predicts it won’t be easy to get some long-time union members to switch.

“When Hillary first mentioned supporting Barack Obama last night . . . if people didn’t get it, then they just don’t want to get it,” Dorsey said as she sat outside Denver’s Hyatt Regency, which is housing many labor delegates this week because it’s the only unionized hotel in the metro area.

Dorsey, an African-American who works as a contract administrator, expects Obama to win the White House only “if people can look past color.”

She will be campaigning for him but worries that “white male” voters will have difficulty with the choice.

“Are they looking past color?” she asked. “Hell no! Our membership is going to be tough. The younger generation has no problem with it because they don’t see the color.”

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