This seems like a bit much just to engage in some sort of performance for the cameras.
I don't think so. The Obama team spends a lot of time thinking about how to shape the media narrative and the public perception. IF (and I say IF) he was certain that the vote would go his way, I don't think this is too far-fetched a scenario given what we've seen from them in the past.
If it seems far-fetched to you, that's because you don't think like a leftist radical.