She said she understood that the Clinton supporters were "grieving." Shriver, of course, comes from one of America's great political families, and the hard knocks of electoral give-and-take are part of her DNA.
"I equate a loss like this to a death," she said.
She said she remembers what it felt like in 1980, when her uncle Sen. Edward Kennedy lost an insurgent campaign in the Democratic primary to incumbent President Jimmy Carter.
"I held grudges from the 1980 campaign for way too long," she said. "It didn't serve me well or advance healing."
For all the passion and political pragmatism on offer Monday night, a number of women in the crowd appeared still in doubt. It's been a long, hard-fought campaign, and it's clear that many of the committed Clinton supporters are going to Denver unsure of how they feel about Obama.
"There are a lot of gaps that still need to be closed," said Hillary supporter Beth Gulas.
Shriver rearranged her planned address to the women after she learned that Feinstein would not be able to be there. (She also thought it would be a good diversion after tearfully dropping off her daughter for her first year of college.)
She fondly greeted the women, who included Jamie McCourt, Victoria Hopper (Dennis' wife), U.S. Rep. Diane Watson (D-L.A.), County Supervisor Gloria Molina, longtime Hollywood publicist Judi Davidson, political consultant Donna Bojarsky, former agent Vicki Light, artist Joanna Staudinger and onetime California first lady Sharon Davis.
Shriver told the crowd that she remembered how her father and uncle would criticize opponents in private. "They would say, 'We don't like so-and-so.' Then suddenly, the race is over and we all have to love so-and-so."
It's not easy. But it's necessary, Shriver said.
And she issued a warning:
"I know many of the people on McCain's campaign," she said. "A lot of them worked on my husband's campaign. I can tell you they're tough and they're organized. You must focus on the repair work. If you don't work to heal the rupture, the fight will be all that's remembered. . . . No one did that in 1980 and we all know what happened: We lost that election.
"There are no perfect politicians," she said. "There is no perfect race, and I've been involved in a lot of elections. Some are really painful. That's politics."
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tina.daunt@latimes.com
