This is Jason, for Scott - the Big Man and the Mustache of Progress are out and about, closing this race out strong, so I'm here to do a little corresponding on his behalf.
Friends, we have a dead heat. You've seen a ton of polls: some have Joe up, some have Joe down, some have Lisa second, some have Lisa in last. Follow me across the jump for some heart to heart, and finally a discussion on filibuster reform that I've been promising.
The latest poll from Hays Research Group that is breaking right now, paid for by the DSCC, shows the deadest of all dead heats:
Joe is at 27.1
Scott is at 25.9
Write-in is at 25.3
Undecideds... 20%
Since Day One, this has been a race in flux, an unpredictable mess of Tea Party extremism, Republican corporatism, and strong progressive populism. It was a faceoff between Joe's extremism and Scott's sensible values, then morphed into a three way contest. It's been a family feud between the Murkowski clan and the Palin posse, with Joe Miller as its hand-picked surrogate. But from the first moment he entered this race, Scott McAdams has been focused on the solutions that will improve Alaska communities, that will better the lives of Alaskans. I think that's why this community embraced him with the Orange to Blue endorsement.
Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Alaskans will stream to the polls. I suspect that many thousands won't know whom they're voting for until they step into that booth and find themselves face to face with the ballot. And I'm confident that when it comes down to it, Alaskans will do what we've talked about: they'll vote their values.
And Scott will win. He's the best candidate in this race, and I am proud to work for him. As I wrote on my facebook last night, it is clear now: the Beard of Doom can only be stopped by the Mustache of Progress. The bell has rung: it is time to have the fight.
We've got a legion of canvassers, truckloads of callers, and a herd of poll watchers to make sure that Alaskans get out to vote their conscience and have a free and fair election. And it's thanks to your support, the support of Alaskans and people from across the country who committed a call, a dollar, a blog post to this campaign, that we will have the resources we need to win. We couldn't have done this without such tremendous support. Thank you.
On filibuster reform, Scott supports Senator Tom Udall's "Constitutional Option." It's become a constant refrain that "the Senate is broken." We all know that to be true. The question has always been: what do we do about it? Other than electing better senators (which must be the primary goal): the filibuster must be fixed. From its origins as a tool to ensure that legislation wasn't run through the Senate in the dark of night, that there was sufficient consideration given to legislation, the filibuster has been corrupted into a tool of perpetual obstruction by the venomous politics of our day.
You've seen the chart from KagroX, though it escapes me now, of how the filibuster has exploded in recent years. This abuse cannot continue.
It's time for filibuster abuse to end. It's time for a Constitutional Option. There are hundreds of bills that have passed the House of Representatives that have yet to be even considered in the Senate. While the nature of the Senate dictates that far fewer bills will pass it, the "greatest deliberative body" has become the "most deliberately obstructive." The people have a right to know who is blocking the initiatives that will move America to a more prosperous future. The business of the people should not be stopped by 40 senators. We must have reform.
------------------------
We're fired up and ready to go for tomorrow. I'd ask one final time for any support you can give - a close election raises a substantial possibility of having to duke it out with Joe and Lisa in the courts, to ensure that there is no repeat of Florida or Minnesota. I've got dozens of lawyers dedicated to our cause, but we have channeled our resources into winning on Election Day. We sure could use a hand making sure that the win will not be marred in the court. You can be sure that Joe, Lisa, and their big money interests will be ready for the fight.
It has been, and will continue to be, an honor to be a member of this community. Thank you for your support.
- Jason, for Scott
PS: Just saw minutes ago on the Ed Show that Ron Christie, Republican operative (and Dick Cheney confidante) extraordinaire, predicted we will win this race. That is surely deserving of a non-Cramer "BOOYA!"