Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton drew fire from activist bloggers and rival presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John Edwards over her refusal to stop taking money from Washington lobbyists.

Yesterday, Clinton defended the contributions she got from lobbyists after former North Carolina Senator Edwards challenged Democrats to stop taking such funds. Edwards and Illinois Senator Obama say they don't accept lobbyists' money, arguing that it has a widespread corruptive influence on the political process.

Clinton, the leader among Democratic candidates in national polls, trails Edwards and Obama in support from online activists making up the so-called netroots movement. The New York Senator said her record shows she can't be bought and argued that lobbyists represent all types of Americans -- from nurses and social workers to ``corporations that employ a lot of people.''

``I don't think, based on my 35 years of fighting for what I believe in, anybody seriously believes I'm going to be influenced by a lobbyist,'' Clinton, 59, said at a Democratic presidential candidate forum in Chicago yesterday at Yearly Kos, a gathering of about 1,500 progressive bloggers. ``A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans.''

The former first lady's defense of lobbyists was met with boos by many bloggers, writers of Web logs. Clinton, criticized by some liberal Democrats as too conservative, got off to a shaky start when she initially said she wouldn't have time to meet separately with the group.

``I've been waiting for this,'' she said in response to the jeers. ``This gives us a real sense of reality with my being here.''

`Core Principles'

Still, Clinton garnered several bouts of applause as she touted her credentials to the crowd.

``I just ask you to look at my record. I've been fighting for the same things,'' she said. ``My core principles haven't changed. But I do want to be the president for everybody. I do want to represent the entire country.''

In a separate one-on-one session with the group, Clinton praised the blogging community for standing up ``against the right-wing noise machine'' and ``helping us create a modern progressive movement in America.''

``I only wish that we had this active and fighting a blogosphere about 15 years ago because we have certainly suffered over the last years from a real imbalance in the political world in our country,'' she said. ``But we are righting that balance, or lefting that balance, I'm not sure which.''

Wider Lead

Clinton increased her lead among Democrats in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll last month, garnering the support of 43 percent of those questioned in the July 27-30 survey. Obama was backed by 22 percent, while Edwards had 13 percent. Clinton's lead over Obama was 14 points in June.

Obama and Clinton are closer in the money race, with Obama saying last month that he has $34 million in cash for the primaries and Clinton reporting $33 million. Edwards has $12 million, according to government filings.

Obama, who turned 46 yesterday and was serenaded by the crowd with a chorus of ``Happy Birthday,'' rejected Clinton's stance on lobbyists' power, and used her failed attempt to revamp the country's health-care system as an example of the sway of corporate lobbyists.

``The insurance and the drug companies spent $1 billion in lobbying over the last 10 years,'' Obama said. ``Now Hillary, you were talking earlier about efforts you made back in '93. Well, you can't tell me that that money didn't have a difference. They aren't spending that just because they are contributing to the public interest. They have an agenda.''

Other Funds

The lobbyist debate was prompted by Edwards, 54, who urged fellow Democrats to cut all ties to lobbyists.

``Why don't we start today reforming the Democrat Party by all of us admitting no more from this day forward, not a dime from the Washington lobbyists,'' he said. ``We do not do business with these insiders.''

Edwards was later challenged himself when Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich, 60, asked the former North Carolina senator if he would stop taking money from hedge funds.

Edwards, the only Democratic presidential contender who has worked for a hedge fund, formerly was a senior adviser to New York-based Fortress Financial Group LLC, earning a salary of $479,512, according to a federal regulatory filing.

He received $182,250 in campaign contributions from employees of Fortress in the first thee months of this year, making the hedge fund his biggest financial backer.

`The Reality'

Yesterday, Edwards said that until there was public financing of federal elections, he would continue to take donations from financial firms and other groups, so long as the money doesn't stem from professional lobbyists.

``As long as we don't have public financing, which I'm completely committed to, I think we have to raise money from nurses, teachers, doctors, people who work on Wall Street in New York City in order for us to have a serious campaign,'' he said. ``That's the reality.''

Seven of the top eight Democratic candidates showed up at the Yearly Kos forum, signifying the growing netroots influence. Delaware Senator Joe Biden didn't attend. The event was organized by Markos Moulitsas, 35, a Democratic activist and founder of the Daily Kos Web site.

To contact the reporter responsible for this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 5, 2007 04:15 EDT