We should know in a few hours if Democrat Scott Murphy has pulled an upset and beat Republican Jim Tedesco in heavily Republican NY-20. But John Boehner seems to expect that once again the Republicans have blown it and lost something that should have been theirs:
Here's Boehner last month talking to the zealots at the Conservative Political Action Conference:
"We need to compete everywhere. And when I say compete everywhere, New York 20 is probably the best example. This is where Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate. It's an open race. Jim Tedisco is the minority leader in the New York assembly. He is our candidate.
"This election is on March 31st, and it is a giant opportunity for us to let America know that America is on our side."
What's Boehner saying today?
In a Tuesday morning news conference, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the outcome of the election shouldn’t be seen as a referendum on the GOP leadership in Congress.
"It’s between those two candidates in New York," Boehner explained to reporters.
Boehner sure was willing to take credit when it looked like a sure GOP win. But now, after over $800,000 from the NRCC, contributions from over 80 Republican members of Congress, and the heavy involvement of Michael Steele and the RNC, success looks far less certain.
When a victory by Republican Jim Tedesco seemed certain, John Boehner adopted Tedesco's expected success and made it his own. Now, even before the results are announced, Republican "leader" Boehner is declaring Tedesco's possible failure an orphan.