Texas was one of the ones he lost by only 2%. Hardly a wipeoout there. Downplay the primaries and caususes all you want. I think you are underestimating things. The Democrats had record turnouts in most of the states. The base isn't going to disappear because Hillary didn't win and they registered a lot of new voters to expand the base. Both of the Clintons gave strong endorsements of Obama at the convention, with Bill giving a very strong endorsement for Obama being ready to lead. Much more effective coming from a former President than if Hillary had said it. They clearly coordinated their speeches for the greatest impact.