RAHM EMANUEL MIGHT NOT WANT DEMOCRATS TO KNOW, BUT THERE IS AN IMPORTANT ELECTION IN OHIO ON DECEMBER 11

Yesterday I got a pssstttt from a Beltway Insider who's also a pal of mine. "Don't connect this to me but there's a candidate running in OH-05 that you'd love," he confided. "Yeah, Robin Weirauch; I've already been covering the race. But why are you bringing this up? Is Emanuel behind her? Doesn't seem to be his type of candidate; she comes across like a real solid Democrat."

"No," he assured me; "you should check with your DCCC sources but my impression is there's no way in hell Weirauch has anything to do with Emanuel. I don't want to play psychiatrist but I don't think he sees a woman who worked at a college whose main campaign issues are fair trade and ending the war as someone he looks at and says, 'that's my candidate.' Now  if Weirauch were a centrist who was a sheriff or something, I think he'd be pushing to get involved with the district."

But Robin Weirauch a grassroots, down-to-earth populist Democrat and Emanuel is sitting on his hands. Local Ohio bloggers aren't. AsOhioGoes, OhioDailyBlog and BuckeyeStateBlog are all pumped up. Inside the Beltway hacks like Charlie Cook and Rahm Emanuel may be saying the race is hopeless for Democrats because Bush took the district against Kerry with 61% and because Paul Gillmor, recently passed away, won with 67% in 2002 and 2004 (though down to only 57%-- against Robin-- last year). But her progress against the entrenched incumbent isn't the only thing they're overlooking back at the DCCC. Governor Ted Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown both won the district last year, which certainly flies right in the face of conventional Beltway wisdom. And Bush's job approval rating in Ohio has been sinking lower and lower. Last count: 31%. On top of that, the Republican Party just went through a bruising primary between a mainstream conservative and an extremist proto-fascist. The conservative, Bob Latta, won but he's still trying to unite the his own party behind him-- trying but not succeeding-- instead of reaching out to independents and Democrats.

The special election is December 11. Emanuel has already decided to let the race go to the Republicans. It's up to grassroots Democrats with values and ideals his kind don't share with us to support our candidates. You can learn more about her campaign at her website, where you can also volunteer or donate.