Enthusism deficit for Moonbeam?... union members from across the state bused to Brown rally - but the gym was just 3/4 full

Forget the polls that show Brown is ahead of Whitman. 

The anecdotal evidence on the ground shows a serious enthusiasm deficit for Jerry Brown.   That's the way it looks to me, anyway.    

Take Jerry Brown's post-debate rally in Fresno over the weekend.  Most of the people who showed up for the Brown rally were union workers bused in from across the state -- but the school gym where the rally was held was still just 3/4 filled, according to Bee reporter John Ellis.

I've pointed out obvious enthusiam deficits for Jerry Brown here and here and here.  I'm not a polling expert, but the number of people who actually show up for Jerry Brown events like this tells you something important.

Not much enthusiasm for Jerry Brown on his Labor Day campaign swing through Northern California

Overly-eager Brown supporters are trying to put a positive spin on Moonbeam's Labor Day swing, but I'm not seeing the evidence.

A Jerry Brown volunteer was with Jerry Brown at his Fairfield stop yesterday and tweeted this:

@JerryBrown2010 fires up the crowd at Fairfield Dem HQ!

Fired up?

Look at the photo and judge for yourself whether the crowd looks fired up.

The crowd looks glazed to me.

In Sacramento, "more than a hundred" showed up for Brown's appearance at the Labor Day Picnic at William Land Park, according to the Sacramento Bee.

More than a hundred?   Free food, mild temperatures, appearances by union bosses, and the much-anticipated kickoff to Brown's campaign... I'd expect more than five hundred.  TheCommShop asks a good question:

Small crowds have been a common feature of the Brown campaign.  A few days ago I posted this about a Brown rally in Oakland:  Politicians outnumber everybody else at Jerry Brown "Latino rally" at Laney College

KCRA: "About ten" people bought tickets to yesterday's Jerry Brown fundraiser

Momentum!   Not surprisingly, the reporter seems satisfied at Moonbeam's position that his campaign will take off after Labor Day.  (Ten people at $10,000 a person comes to $100,000... doesn't seem like much of a haul given how expensive a TV ad campaign is.)

Meanwhile, Whitman held a tele-townhall yesterday with about 15,000 voters.

Don't if it's reflected in the polls yet but it seems obvious to me that Whitman is pulling ahead with voters.  If Moonbeam waits til Labor Day to make a move, he could be lost in the dust.