Republican Bob Turner’s win in New York’s 9^th Congressional District is a story the Frank Sinatra hit song, New York, New York, was written for. The GOP can now sing this tune about itself, specifically these lines:

If (we) can make it there, (we’ll) make it anywhere

It’s up to you, New York, New York

It was up to New York, and New York delivered big time. Just like Senator Scott Brown’s “unlikely” win in liberal Massachusetts, Turner’s election in a historically Democratic stronghold signals a sea change in politics. If Republicans can win this seat – considered untouchable for 90+ years – then how tough will it be for them to win in places considered toss-ups or GOP-leaning?

Of course, the Democratic Party is in denial, at least publicly. Debbie “Downer” Wasserman-Shultz dismissed any concern about Turner’s win, saying that the 9^th District is a difficult district for her party. Really?

Turner’s win, like the rise of the Tea Party and the 2010 Republican election victories, are also rebukes of the mainstream media and nearly every political pundit. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and revisit some of the obituaries written about the GOP a mere three years ago.

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Accusations are flying in the race to fill Anthony Weiner’s vacated seat in the 9th district of New York.

Republican Bob Turner, whose internal polls show a dead heat with Democrat David Weprin, claims that his staff has caught several individuals attempting to spy on his campaign. Turner’s campaign released the following photograph of one alleged mole:

According to Turner press secretary Bill O’Reilly (not that Bill O’Reilly), the photo depicts “a Weprin staffer who tried to ‘volunteer’ for Turner.” The Turner campaign claims it has caught four attempted moles, including one posing as a “college reporter.”

Weprin, speaking to the local NBC affiliate yesterday, failed to deny the charge, stating only that he did not know about any alleged spying effort, and was not responsible in any case: “I can’t control who goes to everything.”

WNBC also captured Turner’s campaign manager attempting to hijack a Weprin press conference–albeit less surreptitiously:

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Once upon a time, ‘Republican’ Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava was the front-runner in the special election to replace actual Republican Rep. John McHugh. That was then, the video below is now:

In politics, a good rule-of-thumb is that the candidate calling for more debates is the candidate that is losing. It usually means they are just about out of money and need staged, public events to even hope to get their message out. For a big government liberal like Dede, it figures she would resort to this. It seems noone is buying what she’s selling, so she’s trying to orchestrate her own bailout. That is fairly typical.

What isn’t typical, however, is her campaign’s apparent–and total–lack of competence. Who stages a press conference and fails to control its visuals? City council races in Nebraska have more discipline.

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Politico today turns its attention to the special election in upstate New York, where GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava is, basically, out of cash:

Dede Scozzafava, the GOP nominee in a key upcoming House special election, is running dangerously low on campaign cash, according to several GOP sources familiar with her spending and fundraising. 

While Scozzafava’s official fundraising numbers will not be known until Thursday, the third-quarter Federal Election Commission reporting deadline, the GOP sources acknowledged to POLITICO that she’s unable to compete financially with her two opponents. 

Scozzafava supporters blame her cash crunch on the Washington Republican establishment, which they contend has not embraced her campaign enthusiastically.

Some of this lack of enthusiasm may be due to the fact that, as Capitol Confidential noted last week, Scozzafava is a long-time ally of ACORN and its Working Families Party in New York. (Doesn’t the GOP have enough problems than to associate themselves with these folks?)

The Politico story also notes that Scozzafava’s campaign tries to dismiss concerns about her chances by mentioning that it has the full backing of the state’s teachers’ union. This is, um, less than encouraging.

Read the whole Politico story here.

Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava is not your typical Republican candidate. Running in a special election in upstate New York for the seat of departing Congressman John McHugh, she has, naturally, picked up the support of state and national Republican party officials. She has secured the full support of the National Republican Congressional Committee and that of its chairman, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions.

But, she has also picked up the support of the DailyKos, not a traditionally deep well of support for Republicans. Oh, and ACORN’s Working Families Party. Below is a memo Big Government obtained circulating among leaders of the conservative movement. It is from New York State Conservative Party Chair, Mike Long:

Donors to the Republican National Congressional Committee have a right to expect their support will help candidates who are broadly in accord with the Republican Party’s fundamental principles. 

There is little doubt, in these lean times, Americans who make contributions to the NRCC would be shocked to learn their dollars are actually supporting the campaign of an unrepentant liberal who opposes the central achievements of today’s Republican Congressional delegation.

Yet that is exactly to sad a state of affairs we now confront.  The NRCC is using the contributions of loyal Republicans across the country to fund the Congressional bid of Liberal New York State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava. 

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