President Barack Obama's day began in Concord, New Hampshire, capital of the Granite State. He then left for Florida, Ohio and Colorado; all are swing states. The race is so tight that even New Hampshire's four electoral votes could matter, which explains why the president's schedule has become like that of an aircrew, flying all over the country. Obama has had former President Bill Clinton at his side everywhere he goes on this whirlwind tour of the battleground states. In 2008, then-Senator Obama needed no help in crushing his rival Senator John McCain of Arizona. But 2012 is a whole new ballgame: Obama needs Clinton and has invited him on stage in seven different campaign events. This election cycle, Obamamania is nowhere to be found; the 44th president needs all the help he can get to be re-elected because he knows Governor Mitt Romney's threat is for real. To illustrate that last point, four years ago, the Democratic turnout at the polls beat the Republicans' by 8 percent. Could the president's party maintain this advantage in light of the virtual tie in the polls? Who knows. The dream Obama represented is gone; all that's left is the man himself. The national sport On Sunday and the preceding days, dozens of volunteers descended on Romney's campaign headquarters, located in a low building at 585 Commercial Street, Boston. "We are going to make history," Jamie, a college senior, tells me. She has no plans for the day after the elections, but says "we are going to restore the true face of America: an America that's working, not an America that's on welfare." Her siblings, Jason and Terry, join the conversation. Both are studying at Boston University. They would normally be spending their weekend engaging in some sort of sporting activity. The two brothers like rowing; Jamie prefers soccer. But this routine has given way to the national sport: electioneering. The Romney Campaign's overarching goal is to unseat Obama; this trumps everything. "You burn many more calories by being here than by playing on the field," jokes Jamie. The four-story campaign headquarters could not be bustling more with activity, with activists calling voters to make the candidate's final pitch or sending out flyers to get the message across. Massachusetts is in the bag for Obama, not its one-time governor, Romney; his headquarters are a blot of Republican red in a sea of Democratic blue. From there, Romney's operatives monitor the 11 swing states; it is close to the venue for the victory party on election night, if things turn out right. Politico reported on Sunday that the GOP nominee's campaign staffers have denied access to many in the foreign media who wanted to get an inside look at the headquarters. "Reporters from several foreign newspapers including Italy's la Repubblica, Spain's El País , and The Australian may be left out of The Romney Campaign's election night party on Tuesday night due to limited space at the ballroom in Boston," wrote Dylan Byers. The venue for the party cannot be described as huge, although judging from the latest Real Clear Politics poll in which Obama is leading Romney by the razor-thin margin of 47.5% to 47.3%, hopeful campaign gurus must be asking themselves whether they were overly pessimistic by not renting a bigger ballroom. With optimism in short supply, you cannot blame Romney's political director, Rich Beeson, for predicting his candidate will win more than 300 electoral votes. "It is going to be a big win for Governor Romney," Beeson told Fox News' Chris Wallace on Sunday. Obama's Chicago headquarters have echoed that rhetoric, albeit for their candidate. The president's team was upbeat on Sunday after the final Pew poll for this election showed Obama leading Romney 47% to 50%. David Axelrod, the campaign's senior strategist, earlier said the Republicans were well aware that they were in dire straits in Ohio, the state that could provide the key to victory. The GOP's Ohio travails were underscored by Romney's decision to campaign in Pennsylvania on Sunday. This is a sign of despair, not confidence, because there is still more work to be done in the Keystone State. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has both candidates at 47%. No Republican presidential nominee has carried the state since George H. W. Bush in 1988. The two candidates are locked in a dead heat in Ohio and New Hampshire too. The Florida election saga in 2000 that involved countless recounts to determine whether Al Gore or George W. Bush had won could very well repeat itself this year in a different state. Speaking of the Sunshine State, enthusiasm is sky high this year. The lines at the polling stations are even longer than the lines seen in New York and New Jersey's makeshift gas stations in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. By the time polls closed for the day on Saturday, some 3.9 million Floridians had already early voted. Florida is in neither candidate's column, as are a handful of other states. Although election day is on Tuesday, some 28 million Americans couldn't wait and have taken advantage of the early voting mechanism in 34 states. America likes to break records: In 2004, early voting amounted to 20% of the vote; in 2008 it was 30% and in 2012 (as of Sunday) 35%; a new record. The general consensus is that early voters favor Democratic candidates; Republicans like voting on judgment day. Who is the candidate of change? Obama mentioned the word "change" three times while campaigning in Ohio on Sunday, having realized that Romney had been running on his 2008 message. This captures Obama's problem: Being the candidate of a fresh start, of hope and change, is much easier than running as a president who has to defend a less-than-impressive record. And as for Romney, well, he wants to be another Ronald Reagan, unseating an incumbent. In 1984, Reagan was re-elected by a landslide, having won 525 electoral votes. Obama and Romney would gladly settle for 270 the needed majority to become president. Victory signs If you want to gauge which way the wind is blowing, wait for 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday night. If by then Pennsylvania is still too close to call, Romney is in for a good night. However, if Pennsylvania and Ohio are called for Obama early on, Michelle Obama can go and get a good night's sleep.