What message does Tedisco’s loss send to the GOP?

By design or happy accident, Republicans dodged a big PR hit by stringing out the results of the 20th Congressional district special election.

But with Jim Tedisco’s concession on Friday, the GOP has another chance to confront their rapid descent into insignificance.

As Republican leaders concede, they played this one by the standard conservative play book: Fiscal conservatism, anti-Pelosi rhetoric, and regular digs at President Obama’s profligate spending.

They ran a capable, experienced candidate, a guy who is scandal-free and well-funded. When the race began, Tedisco was arguably the most visible, influential Republican in New York state — the man who took on Eliot Spitzer.

The GOP poured in massive resources and talent, dispatched Rudy Giuliani, Michael Steele, and other Republican luminaries.

This formula was played out in a lightning-fast election against a complete unknown, a political neophyte — Scott Murphy? I asked two months ago. Who the hell is Scott Murphy? — on turf that is historically favorable to Republican candidates.

Bottom line? It didn’t work.

For a Republican to come close in a district like the 20th with the particular dynamics that shaped this race — that’s not nearly good enough.

(When GOP talkers suggest that this was a respectable finish, it’s sort of like the coach of an NFL team arguing that it’s okay that they lost to a college squad…because at least they kept the game close.)

The Washington Post’s Chris Cizzilla put it this way: “One thing is for sure: this is an opportunity lost for Republicans.”

But maybe not. Maybe at long last Republican leaders will take this voter feedback, retreat to whatever mountaintop conservatives favor (Valhalla? Olympus? Sinai?) and begin confronting reality.

Here are some places to start: Why did we pick the candidate we picked — instead of, say, a woman like state Senator Betty Little?

Why did we refuse to give Jim Tedisco the leeway to embrace President Obama’s stimulus package, once we realized that it was popular in the 20th district?

Why are we using the same group of operatives and tacticians in race after race, when they’re not winning for us?

Is it time to revitalize the party at the county level, finding new chairmen, new committee members?

Maybe the biggest question: Why is Scott Murphy, a venture capitalist and a self-made millionaire, running as a Democrat? What’s so broken with our GOP brand that he’s not one of ours?

Jim Tedisco once claimed that his victory here might spark a revival Republicans in the Northeast.

If his party leaders are honest with themselves, and start asking the tough questions, Tedisco’s defeat could do even more good for the party.