That’s because the Obama campaign has already declared a McCain victory — using the prospect as a viral tool to motivate activists in a creative online video, “Bad News.”

The unusual video has rocketed to be the most popular item on YouTube on Monday:

UPDATE: YouTube tells us: “Embedding disabled by request.” But here’s the link.

PRODUCTION NOTES: “Bad News” has all the ingredients of a viral hit: Mockumentary-style production, a remixed cameo from a media celebrity, and a surprise ending. Predicting an opponent’s victory to rile up supporters is a common tack in American politics — Al Gore used the riff in stump speeches back in 1992 and Hillary Clinton is doing it right now — but YouTube is a new platform for this tactic. The video drives visitors to VoteforChange.com, a site where people can register to vote and find their polling locations.

An Obama t-shirt from The National band.

The rapper will.i.am was all over the Democratic National Convention last week. He was headlining a big concert in downtown Denver on the night of Obama’s speech, and hobnobbing with George Stephanopoulos at a private Huffington Post panel. He’s famous, at least among Democratic delegates, for the music video hit, “Yes We Can,” that scored Obama’s primary speech. (Among non-delegates, he’s famous for less enlightening songs like “I Got It From My Mama.”) But the Obama campaign is no one-hit wonder.

The campaign’s web team just dropped a new video that leaves Barack behind — “Yes We Can” was all Barack — and turns the spotlight on sign-holding supporters, with music by “The National,” an indie band from Brooklyn. The band is also backing Obama with a “Mr. November” campaign, which raises money and sells T-shirts for the Democratic nominee.

PRODUCTION NOTES: Time-lapse photography sets a dreamy, almost idealistic tone, while a diverse range of Obama supporters discuss their hopes for a more united nation. Several also hold signs promising “hope” and “change.” The production is sleek and professional, matching a low-key instrumental song from The National to images of volunteers and citizens on the move.

On Thursday, the TV audience was 41.9 million people. That’s more than double the audience for Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 acceptance speech. Few commentators predict that this week’s convention address by Sen. John McCain’s address will come close to Obama’s audience. In fact, the Democratic nominee’s audience is still growing.

Over the past three days, more than 870,000 people have watched Obama’s entire convention address on YouTube. That includes about 390,000 through Obama’s official channel, and several hundred thousand more through general interest YouTube accounts from C-SPAN and PoliticsTV.

Today it is the second most viewed video on all of YouTube, sandwiched between a music video by Nelly and a clip of “love secrets.” That’s especially striking because videos have to be watched in full to count for a view. Every other Top 10 video is under nine minutes, while Obama’s is 43 minutes.

Of course, the Obama campaign has repeatedly deployed YouTube to expand its reach without any cost. During the convention, it not only provided an alternative platform for speeches on demand, but also circulated original and “backstage” videos to show YouTubers scenes that even the floor delegates could not see.