Gloom and Doom in New York

Don't look now, but the New York GOP seems to be going the way of dinosaurs, the dodo and disco:

Even as Jim Tedisco plans an all-night sprint of campaigning leading up to tomorrow's 20th CD special election, Republicans are privately lowering expectations and rather gloomily suggesting that this could be the beginning of the end for them in New York. Again.

One GOP consultant who isn't working on Tedisco's camapign suggested this race could actually end up being a "perfect storm," leading to calls for the ouster of party leaders all the way up the food chain.

The Dems have out-raised, out-spent, out-organized, out-everythinged the GOP in this race. The 20th used to be a fairly safe GOP district, but there's no such thing in New York anymore.

A loss in the 20th would send shockwaves all the way to the top of the party. Foolish of Michael Steele, really, to hype this contest as a bellwether for the Republican Party.

Too late now, though. Expectations are like balloons; once they get high enough, there's no pulling them back down. I don't think a defeat in the 20th will end Steele's career at the RNC. But rest assured that, if Tedisco goes down, Steele's seat will get a good deal hotter.