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It's not just cultlike worship (although there's a little of that); his supporters believe Obama's face has meaning on its own, imagining him as the face of America,
I know you don't like Obama's candidacy sucking the wind out of HR Clinton's coronation, Ms. Walsh, but come on. The Clintonites are the cult -- it's a vituperative cult of celebrity: they're the shrill ones, who think that Clinton's gender has meaning on its own, although nobody looking at HR Clinton would think she's the face of America, certainly not in the 21st century, which is why she had to stage her own ad hoc Rainbow Coalition photo ops, because she's a privileged white woman. The Clintonites are the ones who are obsessing about race and gender, however, not us.
Far from being cultlike, it's more like pragmatism: Obama is simply a better candidate, and no amount of Clintonite hostility is going to change that, is going to make her a more popularly-electable candidate. Clinton still likely has the edge with Democratic Party/DLC insiders and K Street clout, so Obama's still the underdog -- the question is whether the superior candidate will be able to overcome the institutional power Clinton brings to the table. My fingers are crossed that Obama will do well enough to keep the hope alive.
