Anyone watching MSNBC right now?
The pre-debate show is on, and they have set up outside the hall in Nashville. Quite a crowd has gathered -- Chris Matthews just estimated the crowd at 1,000 people and he said "We've never had anything like this."
Nearly every one of them is an Obama supporter.
The scene is familiar, but not from MSNBC. This looks exactly like Game Day on ESPN.
Why is this important? Because college football inspires incredible loyalty, unbelievable enthusiasm, and people will do anything in the world to see their team win. And Obama is inspiring that in America today.
Every Saturday morning in the fall, ESPN sets up on a campus where a huge game is about to happen, and they broadcast their pregame show live in front of thousands of fans.
As early as 6 am, fans start to gather. Of course, because there is always a home team and a visiting team, the home team crowd dwarfs the visiting crowd.
The broadcast goes from 7-9am (here on the West Coast, at least). The three hosts (Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Chris Fowler) talk about the upcoming day's games, making predictions and doing analysis. But the real star is the crowd.
Every intro, every outtro, is a crowd shot. People paint their faces, they scream. They hold signs, they cheer. The exude the kind of enthusiasm that only sports can do in America...
...or so I thought. Until just now.
MSNBC's set outside is SWAMPED with Obama fans. They are going nuts. They are cheering, they are screaming. They are holding signs: Firefighters for Obama. Teamsters for Obama. Veterans for Obama. Steelworkers for Obama.
They are oozing enthusiasm for this candidate. They have absolutely turned MSNBC into College Gameday.
THIS is why Obama is going to win this election. THIS is why the polls are showing that we're in the third quarter, and one team is extending its lead while the other is resorting to trick plays and cheap shots.
Obama has inspired Americans in a way that McCain can never hope to.