Tonight’s her big night. So where do things stand with her supporters? Nancy Gibbs and I spent some time on the convention floor yesterday talking to delegates for this story. For all the noise you are hearing outside the convention hall (which is being amplified by the McCain campaign), the sense I got was that this Florida delegate was more typical of what you find among convention-goers:
Inside the convention hall on Monday afternoon, there was less anger but plenty of swirling emotion. Clinton supporter and Florida delegate Cathy Bartolotti, a former Tampa city worker, had bought an Obama T shirt and button but wasn’t able to wear the items yet. “By Thursday, maybe I’ll put it on,” she said. “We have to come together, but I want to hold out a little more. Just tomorrow. Give her her due.”
By and large, these Clinton delegates seemed to feel that their candidate has earned some recognition here, but they also believe that their differences with McCain are far greater than their differences with Barack Obama. At a brunch I attended this morning that honored longtime Clinton friend and supporter Vernon Jordan (see the post below this one), the guest of honor implored everyone to put aside their differences and move forward as a unified party into the fall. It was also notable that among those there to fete Jordan was one of Obama’s closest friends, Valerie Jarrett.