KMGH: Colorado Dems Threaten to Block Clinton Delegate
Delegate says she got an intimidating email after expressing doubts on Obama.
August 13, 2008— -- The Colorado Democratic Party threatened to pull the credentials of a Hillary Clinton delegate who privately told friends she wasn't sure she should vote for Barack Obama, according to a report by ABC's Denver affiliate, KMGH.
Sacha Millstone of Boulder, Colorado told KMGH's John Ferrugia she received an "intimidating" e-mail summoning her to the state's Democratic party headquarters after a fellow delegate filed a complaint about her to the state party.
"You are hereby directed to come in to the Party Headquarters and explain your comments and why you should remain a national delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in light of these comments," read the message from Colorado Democratic Party Political Director William Compton. (click here to read the full email)
"This kind of thing has a chilling effect on people and they really are afraid to speak up" Millstone told ABC News. "Is this really the atmosphere that we want to have, especially if we want to have unity?"
In an interview with Ferrugia, the Democratic party chair in Colorado, Pat Waak, said that under state party rules officials are obligated to investigate any complaints against delegates, but since Millstone "had chosen not to come in to talk with us," the party is no longer pursuing the matter.
Millstone said she tried to contact the state party through her lawyer but that officials were not responsive.
Some Colorado Democrats worry that the state party's aggressive tact toward Clinton supporters is harmful.
"The Colorado Democratic party has a legitimate concern and that is that they would like to see the party unified going into the fall campaign," Michael Driver, a major Clinton supporter in Colorado told ABC News. "I think it's a question of whether the best way to achieve unity is to reach out to the Clinton delegates or to try to suppress the support of the Hillary delegates."