Clinton urges her loyalists to back Obama

Some loyal to Hillary Clinton have been disappointed over the diminished role of her delegates at the convention. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

DENVER - As Republicans tried to exacerbate tensions within the Democratic Party, appealing directly to Hillary Clinton's supporters with a barrage of ads and even a happy-hour event, she entreated her faithful yesterday to ignore them and unite behind Barack Obama.

In a speech to the party's Hispanic Caucus, where an adoring crowd greeted her with thunderous applause, Clinton told delegates that she believed "with all my heart" that their top priority should be electing a Democrat president.

"To those of you who supported me, I would be forever grateful for you to work as hard for Barack Obama as you worked for me," said Clinton, who will address the convention during prime time tonight.

The two former rivals reached a deal later yesterday on cutting short the promised roll call vote tomorrow night to limit the image of a party divided. Democratic officials involved in the negotiations said the deal would let a few states cast votes for Clinton before a move to declare Obama the nominee by acclimation, the Associated Press reported.

But signs of discontent remained, showing that the difficult task of uniting the party after a protracted and bitter primary season remained unfinished on the first day of the Democratic convention.

A coalition of anti-Obama Clinton supporters, clad in "Clinton," "McCain," and "Nobama" buttons, marched down the 16th Street Mall at midday and held a protest and candlelight vigil in a Denver park. News reports dribbled out that former president Bill Clinton was grumbling over being asked to focus his speech tomorrow night on the more narrow subject of national security, that day's official theme, rather than on the campaign in general.

Even Clinton's most fervent supporters said they held little hope of an insurrection on the floor tomorrow, but there remains an obvious and unusual level of discomfort among delegates, who are the party's most active and committed members.

Jennifer Herrera, a 36-year-old part-time college professor and Clinton delegate from Centennial, Colo., said she believed the anger was subsiding, but hurt still lingered.

"The Clinton supporters I talk to will vote for Obama, but they may not go out and work for him," she said.

A trio of Clinton delegates from Texas illustrated the divide. Jason Smith, a 40-year-old lawyer from Fort Worth, said he would happily go along with Obama; Pam Durham, a 55-year-old acupuncturist from the same city, said she would have to see how Obama treated Clinton.

"We've got a job here to do, and our job is to vote for Hillary every time her name comes up," she said. "After the convention, we'll go from there."

And the third Texan, Shirley Luther, a 59-year-old retired refinery worker from Belmont, said she would not vote for Obama because she believed he was not experienced enough and because she was disgusted with the party's handling of the disputed Michigan and Florida primaries.

"I want to protest the election system the Democrats ran, and the only way I know is my vote," she said.

Yesterday's compromise over the roll-call vote only inflamed tension among Clinton loyalists who dearly wanted all her supporters to have the chance to cast a symbolic vote as a tribute to Clinton's achievements and as a sign that the party cared about its own rules.

"They give in, and then, of course, they subvert the process immediately afterward," said Michele Thomas, an activist from California who organized the delegate petition over the Internet. "It's David and Goliath. What more can we do?"

Obama sought yesterday to calm any strife, saying that Bill Clinton could talk about whatever he wanted and acknowledging that he will "have to work hard" to persuade Clinton loyalists to "come on board."

"The Clintons love this country, they love the Democratic Party, and they are going to be active participants in our campaign for the remaining 70 days," Obama told reporters after a campaign stop in Davenport, Iowa.

The Republicans are aggressively seeking to capitalize on this turn of events. John McCain's campaign released a new TV ad featuring Debra Bartoshevich, a Wisconsin nurse and former Clinton delegate who introduced herself as a "proud Hillary Clinton Democrat" who plans to vote for McCain in November because "now he's the one with the experience and judgment."

"A lot of Democrats will vote McCain," Bartoshevich says in the ad. "It's OK. Really."

Clinton, in her speech to the Hispanic Caucus, confronted the ads directly. "I've seen those ads, and here's what I have to say: 'I'm Hillary Clinton and I do not approve that message,' " she said.

The crowd cheered. Chants of "HIL-LA-RY" quickly drowned out the few shouting "Si se puede," Obama's rallying cry of "Yes we can." But some in the crowd later said that Clinton's strong and plainspoken appeal to her supporters would make a difference.

"I think it was really important for her to say she supported Obama, especially in the Hispanic community," said Ruby Delagarza, 29, a Clinton delegate from south Texas.

But the most radical of the Clinton backers, who are mostly grass-roots activists and not delegates, have come from across the country to Denver to demonstrate their displeasure.

The disaffected Democrats spent much of yesterday trying to draw attention to gender bias in the media and what they view as widespread instances of voter fraud and bullying by the Obama campaign during the primaries.

The groups, who are mostly women and mostly middle-aged but from widely varying economic backgrounds, will also join another group, 18 Million Voices Rise Hillary Rise, today with a march and rally celebrating the 88th anniversary of women's suffrage.

"We want them to know we're here, we're serious, and we have millions of voters behind us," said Kim Haas, an influential pro-Clinton blogger.

Lisa Wangsness can be reached at lwangsness@globe.com.