Dear All,

Firstly, I want to again congratulate Senator Hagan on her nomination as the candidate to beat US Senator Dole in the 2008 senatorial race. I have told Kay that she has my full support and encourage you to work hard on her behalf.

To the staff, volunteers and bloggers who made our campaign so vibrant I thank you. We were a lean organization running a 21st century grass roots campaign. We took almost 20% (about 250,000) of the votes cast despite our lack of resources and the fact that nobody in NC had a clue who Jim Neal was seven months ago. I am very proud of each and every person who volunteered their time and contributed to our campaign.

I’ve become even more energized by the prospect of online communication as the emergent Fifth Estate. Online activism is the future of politics and social change. I believe that the power of the blogosphere is only at the tip of the iceberg (and that iceberg is melting…) so keep your involvement and your voices in the debate.

Remember that the campaign was never about Jim Neal. It was about you. You are the voices of change. Change is only going to come from the bottom up.

Many of you have emailed me and asked “what’s next?” Well, I’ve got a lot of people to thank and a campaign to wind down. Thereafter I’m taking some time, after six months and 35,000 miles on the road and not much sleep and too many pounds shed, to reflect. I don’t know what the next chapter in my life will be. I do know, however, it will involve continuing to work for empowering the voiceless many most in need. I have heard them. They have made me a richer person. They still have my ear and I’m not about to walk away from them.

We all have a lot of work to do.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Click To Play

Give 10 for Jim!

Raising money is the dirty underbelly of our democracy. And that’s why I do not take money from PACs or special interest groups. I do this in order to set an example because until we have meaningful campaign finance reform our democracy will be up for sale.

Our campaign has shown that you don’t have to raise millions to compete. Just look at the most recent SurveyUSA/WTVD poll. We are running in a dead heat against an established insider who has outspent us three to one. Now, with 28 days left, we need your help to push us over the top.

I need to be competitive with my well-financed opponent which means that I have to ask you for money. Money buys expensive television time, gas to fuel my campaign car (an Escape Hybrid) and campaign materials to distribute.

What’s different about our fundraising is that we are building a base of grassroots donors whose money sends a message to the Inside the Beltway crowd: “We are NOT for sale”.

From day one, our campaign has been about the simple, profound idea that the people deserve a voice in our democracy. Whether in Washington or in Raleigh, the special interest dollar all too often trumps the voice of the people, and it has been that way for as long as I can remember.

This year…we have the unique opportunity to vote for what we want…not what we think we can get.

I hope you will join me in this quest to change politics as usual. Join 10 for Jim. Make a donation. Sign up to help. But, whatever you do, don’t sit on the sidelines. There is groundbreaking, monumental change within our reach…let’s go out and grab it.

People across North Carolina are frustrated with their economic reality. Our nation’s economy lost 80,000 jobs last month. For those who do have jobs, take-home pay buys less. The cost of gas, housing and food are rising. And most feel that politicians are more interested in protecting campaign contributors than regular citizens.

Millions of people this year are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Many families who have made their monthly mortgages on time will see their home values plummet as their neighborhoods become populated with vacant homes. Approximately 20,000 families lose their home every week. Real solutions are needed now. But, the Bush administration has done little to provide relief for these families. Congress has not done much better. The Foreclosure Prevention Bill in the Senate offers billions of dollars to big campaign donors like mortgage companies and home builders who played a role in getting us into this mess in the first place. But there is little help for home owners whose property is losing value or worse.

People across North Carolina are frustrated with their economic reality. Our nation’s economy lost 80,000 jobs last month. For those who do have jobs, take-home pay buys less. The cost of gas, housing and food are rising. And most feel that politicians are more interested in protecting campaign contributors than regular citizens. Millions of people this year are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Many families who have made their monthly mortgages on time will see their home values plummet as their neighborhoods become populated with vacant homes. Approximately 20,000 families lose their home every week. Real solutions are needed now. But, the Bush administration has done little to provide relief for these families. Congress has not done much better. The Foreclosure Prevention Bill in the Senate offers billions of dollars to big campaign donors like mortgage companies and home builders who played a role in getting us into this mess in the first place. But there is little help for home owners whose property is losing value or worse.

Inaction and failed policies have widened the gap between the rich and the poor. A lack of responsible oversight has fostered a weak financial system that could wreck our economy—even more. What we need now is real economic development in this state and this country that benefits everyone, not just those at the top. We need an economic policy that rewards hard work and sacrifice, not who your friends are.

JIM NEAL’S PLAN

Social Investment

I think Warren Buffet is the wealthiest man in the nation, if not the world. Consider this: Buffet (who’s a very progressive Democrat) made his fortune by making long-term investments in businesses, not through short-term trading. He’s a savvy guy, and he recently donated all of his wealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ranking him as one of the biggest philanthropists of all time.

I like the way he thinks about long-term gain and not short-term payoff. In a similar fashion, I believe that we as a nation need to begin making savvy, long-term investments of our nation’s wealth—with a view to the future and to increasing the prosperity and social fabric of our nation. Americans need their representatives to drive investment in our people, in our communities, and in our shared economic prosperity. We need to bring innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and real-world experience to the well of the US Senate. I am committed to pushing for real economic development that works for all North Carolinians, especially those living in our rural and inner-city communities.

My economic solutions are grounded in reprioritizing the way we spend our nation’s wealth, making smart social investments that produce jobs and strengthen communities. In the US Senate, I will put these initiatives at the top of my list:

I will work to create a 21st century Home Owners Loan Corporation to address the overwhelming mortgage crisis. Such a government agency would buy mortgages that have been bundled into securities by Wall Street- at their fair market value– and then unbundled them and renegotiate the terms with homeowners who face foreclosure from their primary residences on more manageable terms. Such an agency, initially pioneered by FDR in 1933, refinanced 1 million mortgages for homeowners facing a similar crisis; when the original HOLC closed in the early 1960s, it returned in full our nation’s investment– plus a profit. It helped families survive through a rough economic transition and lent stability to communities.

I will initiate a “home-grown wealth” and entrepreneurial development plan to build quality, sustainable industries and small business in North Carolina, specifically in rural and poverty-stricken communities. We must undertake with a sense of urgency an Apollo-like project to develop alternative energy sources—such as wind, solar and biofuels. Green technology development and innovation will foster a cleaner environment, provide jobs which will stay in our state and our nation, build stronger communities and provide the USA with a leading-by-action posture from which to negotiate with other nations that are major emitters of greenhouse gases. Similarly, I will work to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and increasing so-called seed capital for the development of small businesses—a more expansive SBA micro-lending program, for example.

I will bolster educational opportunities by increasing investment in teacher pay, parity between suburban and rural and inner-city schools, universal Pre-K and after-school programs, and access to college education. I support investment in what I’ll call a Renewable Youth Corps Program whereby young people can opt to borrow from the government the full costs of their education—and repay the investment which we as a nation have made in their education through participation in public service, be it in the classroom, after-school mentoring programs, health care clinics or the delivery of social services to those most in need. Education is the key to upward mobility- a social good. And, bringing together young people from all walks of life working for their country will reinforce our sense of shared identity as Americans.

How to Pay?

Elected officials, particularly at election time, sound like walking ATMs when discussing economic policy. So, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on how we might re-allocate resources to fund the sort of social investments I’ve outlined above.

I would vote to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest. It was irresponsible tax and fiscal policy, did nothing to stimulate the economy, and was targeted at the wrong people. I will work toward revamping the tax code to reduce the burden on working families and to remove loopholes that give US companies tax shelter through offshore corporate tax havens.

I will not vote for further funding of the war in Iraq until the administration—unilaterally or through negotiation with the Congress—sets forth a plan the bring our troops home safely and quickly. Using the power of the purse, the bluntest tool in the Congress’ powers, is the only way in which we’ll be able to end this war—and to suggest that so doing is not supporting our troops is, well, the words of someone who pays more attention to bumper stickers than the voices across our state and nation. Our military leadership is most qualified to provide the blueprint for such a withdrawal plan—but only after they’ve been given the order to do so. However, this isn’t going to happen until you elected people like me to the Congress and insure that we don’t end up with Senator McCain in the White House.

The cost of our health care system—twice that per capita of any other nation in the world—is bankrupting our nation. By providing all Americans with access to universal health care coverage, they’ll move away from the ER where so many uninsured are turning for sick care that’s 3x as expensive as is preventative health care in a general practitioners office or a health care clinic. By imposing a standard technology platform for all providers and using technology to manage people’s health care, not just to deny them health care coverage, we can drive the most glaring inefficiency in the cost of health care in America down: administrative costs, which account for fully 33% of every dollar we spend on health care.

The steps I’ve outlined would re-allocate trillions toward social investment in our country.

In summary, my vision for America is an America where middle class families have the resources and opportunities to thrive in a 21st century economy. An America where the strength of our economy is rooted in middle class success. An America where small businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors are rewarded. An America where an education is a right and not a privilege. An America that focuses on we, not me.

And, an America without elected officials who fail to put the interests of their constituents on the front burner—and move to the back burner their loyalties to special interest groups, wealthy donors and their own tone-deaf political ambitions.

[Cross-posted to Daily Kos and BlueNC]

[crossposted on Daily Kos and BlueNC]

It’s critical to understand the reasons for our skyrocketing oil prices if we want to lead our country away from protracted conflicts in the Middle East and towards energy independence.

The United States is the world’s largest consumer of oil, using about 20 million barrels per day. Petroleum is not traded in a free market. If the oil market were truly free, it’s unlikely we’d be paying over $100 a barrel. Oil prices are in fact highly manipulated by people who claim to be proponents of free market capitalism and cartels that are interested in anything but a free market. But our government has the power to manipulate oil prices as well. It could bring down the price of oil, if it so chooses, by opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Tapping this cache of over a half a billion barrels of oil would have a dramatic and immediate impact on oil prices.

OPEC Keeps Production Down

Although OPEC member states have about 75% of the world’s oil reserves, OPEC controls about 35% of oil production worldwide. Their production quotas create an artificial scarcity by holding back supply. The Saudis in particular hold a tight grip on the production lever, keeping the flow slow and profits high. They pushed OPEC to reduce production in 1998, and it has never been restored to those levels.

Bush/Cheney Profiteering

Meanwhile, the Bush family has long standing private and governmental ties with the Saudi Royal family. For years, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been the protector of last resort in the Middle East. U.S. taxpayers pay $136 million a day to protect Saudi oil wells while the Saudis treat us like they own us. Oil was below $12 per barrel in June 1998 and was still as low as $20 per barrel in December 2001 (after 9/11). While the price of oil has increased over 500% since the Iraq war began, the production cost to the Saudis has remained about the same - about $2 per barrel.

The Bush government has done absolutely nothing to reduce our consumption or help us make substantial changes towards alternative fuel sources.

Why would they? The Bush and Cheney families are laughing all the way to the bank!

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Meanwhile, Bush/Cheney policy is to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve no matter what the price of oil is. When the price of oil was skyrocketing, Bush used his 2007 State of the Union address to propose that we expand the capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to twice its current level… creating an open invitation for OPEC to keep prices high as we continue to buy whatever they put on the market.

Why does the Strategic Petroleum Reserve matter so much? It currently holds about 700 million barrels of oil (worth over $70 billion at current value). This takes a huge amount of oil off the market, and if you ever took Economics 101 you know that reduced supply results in higher prices. But the psychological message it sends to OPEC is just as important. When we don’t use the SPR as our supply and demand leverage, it allows OPEC to control production and prices however they would like.

Bleeding us Dry

The oil industry and their lobby are enormously powerful players in the Bush/Cheney era. While the administration has had to tap into taxpayers pockets for recent Wall Street bailouts, they have allowed the oil industry to suck its money straight out of our back pockets.

The United States needs an oil policy that leverages the power of our demand on the world market. We can decrease the amount we’re paying for oil while simultaneously decreasing our military spending in the Middle East. It’s time that we stop sending a financial pipeline to the Middle East. It’s bleeding common people dry, fattening the Bush/Cheney oil elites, and destabilizing the entire region.

What I’ll Do in Office

Take action NOW. People can’t afford to drive to work with gas prices at $4/gallon. They need help today, which is why I support opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Feed the market and drive retail prices down. And, it sends the right message to OPEC nations: business as usual is over. The US should begin tightening the screws with our purchasing power-and what better time than now to remind them of the $136 million daily subsidy we are providing to serve as their de-facto Department of Defense.

President Clinton tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2000. It’s time to take the same bold action-NOW.

[cross-posted to dailykos.com and BlueNC.com]

We’ve been talking a lot about our US Senate campaign being a choice between politics as usual and speaking truth to power.

I was surprised and frankly shocked while reading Greensboro’s Yes Weekly article about State Senator Kay Hagan.

Kay points to Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) as an example of how “we do things right in Raleigh.” The legislation adopted by the state senate last year gives away the store to Duke Energy, one of the top contributors to Kay’s state senate campaigns .

You may not know about SB 3. And the problem is I don’t think you’re supposed to. The Raleigh News-Observer says SB 3 was “an insiders’ deal from the get-go,” passed with “virtually nonexistent” public debate and no “serious financial analysis of its total impact on consumers.” http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/martinez/story/626147.html

SB 3 shifts the cost of building new power plants from industry to consumers. Duke will be allowed to bill consumers for the costs of building new power plants - before the plants produce even a single watt of electricity. Instead of borrowing money to build power plants, Duke Energy and Progress will charge you more on next month’s bill. This fundamentally changes the law and how the utilities do business in North Carolina.

Many are worried that this change will pave the way for the energy industry to build new, polluting coal-fired plants instead of pursuing cheaper, cleaner alternatives.

There are three things we need to survive – food, shelter and energy, whether it’s gas for our cars or electricity for our homes. The bottom line is, SB 3 pretty much guarantees that all of our electricity bills will go up… and up. Consumers take the risk while Duke Energy and Progress take the profits.

I know that some people may think I’m being too harsh on my primary opponent. But make no mistake about it – this is not personal. Kay Hagan appears to be a very nice person. The problem is she’s part and parcel of a broken political system where special interests write legislation to benefit themselves instead of the common good.

It’s the very reason I’m running for the United States Senate. After being in this race for almost six months I honestly can’t understand whether Kay Hagan is naïve or she just thinks the public is.

Our campaign is asking for some simple things – to have a clear clean and open debate about where we stand on the issues, to meet openly with voters so we can hear their concerns, and to openly divulge who is financing our campaigns.

To examine someone’s legislative record and how they finance their campaign should be fair game. Isn’t that what democracy is about?

I’d like to hear your thoughts. Please join the conversation on my dailykos diary.

I followed the House of Representatives debate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act this week, the latest skirmish in an ongoing battle between the Democratic Congress and President Bush.

The Republican Party wants us to believe the debate is about giving intelligence agencies the power to spy on terrorists. That’s nonsense- our intelligence agencies already have that power, even if Congress does nothing. The President wants us to believe it’s about protecting telecom companies that work with intelligence agencies from being sued. That’s also nonsense – I’ll get to that in a moment.

The debate is really about protecting our Constitution, our freedoms and our nation.

It is the sworn duty of any elected official to protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. One of the domestic enemies of the Constitution is unchecked government power.

Our Constitution limits unchecked government power by giving the Courts and Congress the power to oversee the actions of the Executive Branch.

But we’ve seen time and again this Administration prefers to act in secret, above the law and beyond the Constitution.

I oppose any law that grants telecommunication companies retroactive immunity from lawsuits for collaborating with the Bush Administration’s warrantless, illegal wiretapping of Americans’ private conversations.

If the White House won’t explain its warrantless surveillance program, the telephone companies should be asked to explain it in court.

Americans expect privacy in their conversations. We also expect accountability from those on top as well as those at the bottom of the heap. And we expect our government to explain what it’s doing with our tax
dollars.

Those, like Senator Dole and my primary opponent State Senator Hagan who support giving telecom companies immunity from lawsuits are missing the point. The whole issue of shielding telecom companies from zealous trial lawyers is a red herring.

Having worked with many Fortune 500 companies, I’d bet that any agreement the telecom companies made to provide customers’ private records to the Administration included a guarantee that the government, not the companies, would be responsible for any lawsuits that might arise. The telecom companies’ lawyers are smart and tough enough to require that kind of legal immunity.

The Administration, again, is using telecom immunity as a smokescreen to hide its shady backroom dealings from the American people which it profoundly distrusts.

I believe government must be open and accountable to the American people. It’s time that North Carolina has a Democratic Senator who isn’t ashamed to stand for just that – no ifs, and or buts.

Jim Neal

I want each of you to take a moment and look at the most recent SurveyUSA poll. It has me running neck-and-neck with my main Primary opponent, battling to be the Democratic candidate to unseat Senator Elizabeth Dole in November!

Despite being outspent two-to-one, this recent poll demonstrates what we already knew: that spreading our message of positive change embracing all North Carolinians is what will defeat Senator Dole in November.

Some of the most exciting energy I’ve seen since I started this campaign has come from online activists. That’s why we’ve started a grassroots house party program that will bring our message to all corners of the state – and nationwide as well.

Nobody running for statewide office in North Carolina has ever gone to the lengths that our campaign is going to in order to reach out, empower, and activate the people of the Tar Heel state . . . and yet we have only begun.

On February 29, 2008 – Leap Year Day – I’m hosting simultaneous house parties across North Carolina. From Murphy to Manteo, every person in our great state will be able to listen in, participate, hear our message of hope, change, and progressive values, and then go forth to continue activating their communities.

But, in order to make this a success, we need hosts willing to open up their homes, invite their friends, neighbors, and family members to be a part of something truly historic. Can you be a host?

HOST OR ATTEND A HOUSE PARTY TODAY!

During our call, I am not going to give you some disingenuous four-point plan from this week’s Washington strategy memo – I’m going to give answers to the hard questions that are on your mind. From day one, we have built this campaign on two things: hard work and an open dialogue with the people of North Carolina.

This call is an opportunity for me to listen to you: Democrat, Republican, or Unaffiliated, and hear what is on your mind; as well as an opportunity for you to hear from me about my priorities. For too long, the people have been ignored by politicians whose only priority is maintaining the status quo.

For six years, we have had Sen. Dole misuse, misappropriate, under-represent, under-appreciate, and under-serve her constituents to fulfill her own power hungry ambitions inside the Beltway. Now, we the people, have an opportunity to change the status quo. Please join me in this endeavor.

If you can’t attend a party, I hope you’ll attend online, as some of North Carolina’s top opinion leaders will live-blog the call from my office. I know they won’t spare any punches – and they’ll be sure to tell you if I’m using crib notes or not! We only have a few spots open, so if you’d like to be credentialed for this event, please contact Andrew Kain at Andrew_kain@jimnealforsenate.com or 919-544-1136.

Finally, I want to say that these house parties represent a covenant – my promise to listen to all of the people of North Carolina, to visit all 100 counties before November’s election, and each year forward, while I enjoy the privilege of serving you in the U.S. Senate. Together, we will take back Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s seat – and give it back to the people of North Carolina.

Thanks so much. I hope I can earn your vote and honor your hard work during this campaign season.

HOST OR ATTEND A HOUSE PARTY TODAY!

Jim

Senator Edwards

John Edwards has made a lasting imprint on the political landscape of North Carolina and our country. His place in political history has been profound - and I expect that dropping his bid for the presidency is not the end of his legacy.

It was but a decade ago that North Carolina evoked one name in national politics - Jesse Helms. Today, the name that comes to mind is John Edwards.

John Edwards launched his senatorial campaign in 1998 as North Carolina was turning a page, politically and economically. His decisive victory over incumbent “Jessecrat” Senator Lauch Faircloth recolored North Carolina’s political map as a shade of purple, much closer to blue than red. Governor Mike Easley, a Democrat, subsequently has served two successful terms in Raleigh. A majority of our state’s elected officials in Raleigh, be they in the executive branch or either of our two legislatives houses, are firmly in Democratic hands.

On the federal level, our Congressional delegation changed its hue in the 2006 election with Democrats holding a 7-6 edge. That margin would have tilted even more to the Democratic column had my friend Larry Kissel’s congressional campaign garnered another 400 votes against his wealthy, well-financed, four-term incumbent opponent. Larry ran a grass - roots effort with scant support from the Washington establishment but is back in the ring for round II in 2008.

My mom used to say that North Carolina was “a valley of humility situated between two peaks of conceit.” One of those peaks, Virginia, has a Democratic governor, sent another Democrat to the Senate in 2006 and should send former Democratic Governor Mark Warner to Washington as its junior Senator this November.

I’m amused by the provincial mindset among so many pundits and politicians who cling to the notion that North Carolina is part of some red blot of a megastate stretching from the Potomac to the Gulf of Mexico. To those naysayers I have a simple response: John Edwards. He set in motion a realignment which resulted in 53% of all votes in North Carolina being cast for Democratic candidates in the 2006 midterm elections.

Like our politics, our economy and demographics in North Carolina are more varied than beltway insiders presume. Agriculture and the family farm remain an important sector in our predominantly rural state. And our rural communities are hurting from the job losses the textile and furniture industries sustained to global competition and much work remains to be done. At the same time, we have soared nationally as a financial hub with the nation’s largest bank, Bank of America, and the fourth largest, Wachovia, headquartered in Charlotte. The Research Triangle is home to world-class educational institutions and “white coat” industries which provide a platform for expanded economic growth.

Senator Edwards used the bully pulpit of his White House run to champion those left behind as North Carolina and our nation have made the bumpy transformation from mills and manufacturing to the new economy.

I have heard the opinion of folks across the nation that Senator Edwards had chosen to run his campaign on a losing issue: poverty. That’s the way most politicians think of issues— following conventional wisdom rather than their hearts and judgment. Not Senator Edwards, who is much more a winner today than he was ten years ago when he first emerged on the national scene. We as a nation, a people, are also winners for having had his voice calling our attention to the plight of the poorest Americans having no voice in the halls of power. Senator Edwards is and has been an inspiration to me as I seek to win the United States Senate seat occupied by Senator Helms for 30 years.

The impact of Senator and Ms. Edwards and the Edwards campaign isn’t dead. He has elevated the debate in this country. As the wealthiest nation in the world, we have a moral obligation to uplift the neediest amongst us. If not, I imagine that the Edwards will continue to be there to remind us.

On Saturday, I attended the North Carolina Democratic Party State Executive Committee Meeting meeting in Hamlet, NC. I was thrilled to be accompanied by volunteers and supporters of all ages. I was so inspired to turn to my left and my right to see their bright smiling and enthusiastic faces speaking passionately about our campaign.Dedicated volunteers and supporters are the backbone of this campaign. As I’ve said before, I’m only the candidate. I’m only one voice. And I’m only as loud as the voices that are standing beside me, supporting our mission to unseat the status quo.

I spent the day meeting our state’s fine Democratic loyalists, activists, candidates and elected officials from across North Carolina who took a day out of their busy schedule to gather in Hamlet to work together for positive change for all of us, be we black, white, senior, young, man, woman, gay or straight. United, we’ll shake up a political system that ain’t working.

Our campaign arrived at 8:30 - several hours before the official meeting began. It felt as if I shook the hand of every warm body at the conference! I didn’t simply arrive in time to make a speech, I might add.

I did have the opportunity to give brief remarks before the official committee meeting began - You can check it out below:

Jim

Last Thursday, I spoke to a tremendously enthusiastic audience of UNC students in Gardner Hall - in the same classroom I once took an economics class during my undergraduate years at UNC! I was thrilled to have a “standing-room only” crowd of students, faculty and Chapel Hill residents drop by to hear our campaign’s message and voice their concerns for the future of our state.
Check out the write-up from UNC’s Daily Tar Heel too.

At 3:45am on Monday, I hit the road for Charlotte’s 14th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast. Kweisi Mfume, former President/CEO of NAACP and five term Democratic Congressman from Maryland, delivered the keynote address to a large and diverse crowd.After the breakfast, we hustled over to Winston-Salem to march in memory of the life and legacy of Dr. King. The march was reminiscent of those I watched as a kid in the 1960s - full of passion and hope for a more tolerant America. My son, Winston, supporters of our campaign and I marched alongside the Forsyth County Democrats, who were ably led by County Chair Fleming El-Amin. I was particularly encouraged by the turnout of young people - many from Winston-Salem State University, where I’ll soon be visiting in early February.

Moving onward to Greensboro, I attended an extraordinary tribute to Dr. King at St. James Presbyterian Church. I was greeted with dignity and grace by the Rev. Dr. Diana L. Givens Moffett and members of the African American community from all over the Triad. Rev. Moffett’s sermon challenged the congregation to dream - dream about the future of our nation, as a young Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once dared us to do.

Later that evening, I attended a service at Union Baptist Church led by the Reverend Kenneth Ray Hammond. His sermon was extraordinarily stirring, driving the assembled to our feet in response to his call to get up and get energized. Moreover, the ringing voicing of the Durham MLK Young Choir and the Durham MLK Community Celebration Choir uplifted the service.

The common theme invoked across all of these celebrations was one of hope for the future. But hope, of course, does not equal actual change, as the Rev. Dr. J. R. Manley, spiritual leader of First Baptist Church, had reminded attendees of The Martin Luther King, Kr. Memorial Banquet the previous evening in Chapel Hill: “He didn’t just wish for change, he changed things.”

Now is the time to change things in this state and this country. And with your combined voices, we’ll do just that.

January 19th 2008

I took part in the fellowship which brought leaders from the African American community - student, academic, professional and spiritual - for a morning and luncheon of inspiration and challenges ignited and inspired by the transformative leadership of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rev. Michael Page moderated the event.

Reverend Dr. Sir Walther Mack, Jr. reminded the assembled to remember that “…145 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and 45 years after getting the right to vote an African American man is running as a contender for highest office in this land…and God still has a plan for the African American community.”

John, a successful African American attorney, who was a child of 16, born into a home with three bedrooms and one bathroom went on-like all of his brothers and sisters-to graduate from college. He did so in spite of being denied educational funding from Washington lawmakers who deemed that his family made too much money ($20,000). He graduated and went on to law school anyway. And, in 1977 his mother, the lady who raised and ultimately supported his family while his father tended to a flock of but 90 parishioners joined her children in graduating from NCCU in 1977 at the age of 55. Alive and kicking today at 85-she and her family are America at its best.

Bet we can do better…in the richest nation in the world, one in every three black men still will go to jail, a black man has a five-year lower life expectancy than a white man and more than one million black men have been denied the right to vote because of felony charges.

A black baby born in this country isn’t born with a “go to jail gene”. Things are better for many but there’s a lot of change yet to happen. And change isn’t going to happen unless we step up and grab it. Dr. King gave his life; you can give your voice, your inspiration, your energy and your votes this election.

Let’s turn a whisper into a roar in 2008.

It was a memorable and inspiring day at NCCU yesterday.

I stopped by Raleigh’s Young Democrat’s meeting in downtown Raleigh to meet some of the young Democratic activists in the area. I was impressed with their enthusiasm and commitment to political change. This high level of activism is exactly what I’ve been seeing throughout the state: young people are checking back into the political system. They are aware, informed, and seizing their prerogative to enact change.

A major factor in the recent increase in young people’s political activism is the Internet - the single most revolutionary advancement that our democracy has seen in decades. Voters are now doing their own research on candidates, instead of relying on partisan demagogues or political machines.

Young people throughout the state have reacted tremendously to our campaign – and they should: it’s about accountability, hope and a desire to change the status quo in Washington.

Young people understand this message, and we are on reaching out to them for their support. We’re planning on visiting at least 17 universities and colleges in the next few weeks – check out studentsforjimneal.com to see when I’m visiting your campus or to request that I come visit!

Rowan County
November 29th

My son Winston and I ventured to Salisbury for the Rowan County Democratic Party’s monthly meeting on November 29th. What a fired-up bunch they are! In Senator Dole “hometown”, I was greeted with an outpouring of enthusiasm. I listened to what was on their minds and boy did I get an earful.

The group’s principal concern was the lack of leadership in Washington; feeling as though their voices and their votes didn’t count. I urged them not to give up but instead to get out, get involved, get organized and change the status quo.

In terms of issues, people are worried about their jobs, their health care benefits and crime in their community. Mr. John L. Rustin, Sr.-our State’s first African American sheriff offered the following from his years of having to reach out to people who didn’t always believe in him: “choose observation, power of persuasion, words and things to fit the situation.”

I also was touched by the support of Paris Martin– who clears, hauls and excavates for a living– and his wife Sara, retired from a 40-year career with the VA, who have opened their spare bedroom to me on my travels. Small gestures like that from folks who were strangers one moment and friends the next says so much about the good people of our State and our Party.

Buncombe County
December 4th

Last Wednesday December 4th I was in western North Carolina. We made an unscheduled drop-in on the Buncombe County Party’s volunteer luncheon. Get this: Wednesday luncheon and the basement of the party HQ was packed by enthusiastic Democrats-I’d guess numbering around 100-strong-whose energy and commitment is infectious. These folks, like their fellow Democrats in Rowan County want a change of leadership and want it now. Many of them worked tirelessly for Rep. Heath Schuler in his upset win over Charles Taylor in 2006.

Like all Democrats across NC, I hope to earn their support and trust. We shared in a valuable dialogue about our state and the Democratic Party, about what’s wrong with Washington. Most importantly, I had a chance to listen to their concerns. After the meeting, I had a chance to meet briefly with several dedicated party volunteers, including Janese and Sarah, who offered their hard work to our campaign effort…always a good sign!

I also had the opportunity to meet with a host of county business and community leaders in Asheville and Buncombe County. They have embraced a spirit of fostering sustainable entrepreneurism as a means of spurring economic growth. The community is close-knit, united and realize that their region has the benefit of a unique quality of life, strong academic and civic leadership and a wireless capability second-to-none.

The business and civic leaders with whom I met were impressive and on-message: they “get” the harmony which must exist between the economy, the social fabric of their community and the environment. Sustainability is a phrase repeated and articulated again and again.

As your next Senator, I hope to lead the charge, together with entrepreneurial leaders across North Carolina, to build bipartisan support to jump start entrepreneurial development to create home-grown jobs, that contribute to our state’s economy and stay here in North Carolina, so our economic sustainability will endure through the 21st century.

Guilford County
November 15^th, 2007

Today, I toured of High Point University with student ambassador Cassidy Clowed. Cassidy’s from Hickory and really opened my eyes to one of NC’s hidden academic gems. HPU boasts a student body from 44 states and 50 different countries. The campus is undergoing an impressive upgrade, utilizing technology as a supplementary tool to boost the delivery of higher education, and placing High Point at the forefront of educational technology development. And, the student body’s zeal for their school is infectious. HPU has come a long way since its days as High Point College during my youth.

That evening I was the featured speaker at the Triad Business and Professional Guild’s dinner. President Kate Larson of Greensboro and fellow directors and attendees offered a myriad of insights to challenges facing our state: economic and job security, their desire to see our troops brought home, the lack of faith many of them had lost in the political process and challenges facing our state and nation in terms of tackling divisive civil rights and immigration challenges.

I can tell you that while I was the “Keynote” speaker for the evening, I gained much more valuable insight from the participants than they ever could have from me. The bottom line: the people of North Carolina already know what is wrong in Washington, they don’t need me or anyone else to tell them. They want to know what we are going to do differently. And-that’s a question I’ll be trying to answer as I travel across the State.

November 21^st, 2007
Alamance County

Worked as a volunteer at the Allied Churches of Alamance County’s Good Shepherd Community Kitchen which served, through the talents of Chef Ted Callem, staff member Michelle Embry and a bunch of dedicated local volunteers both young and old; an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving lunch to over 200 families.

I had the honor of being a server and thus had a change to speak with many of the guests at the lunch. Their stories have a consistent theme: substance abuse, loss of work and no back-up and nobody to help when times got bad. We’re talking black, white and Hispanic; men and women and many, many families.

Bill Adams, the Executive Director and his entire staff are a noble lot. With an annual budget of about $500,000, of which only 8% comes from state and local government and the balance from contributions, this organization dispenses shelter, food and hope to thousands of their guests each year. Get this: members of the staff took a voluntary pay cut of 25% just to keep the programs (food kitchen, shelter and Christian assistance) going! In an era of incredible wealth accumulation, what an amazing testament to the innate goodwill of the dedicated, working people in our State. Again, look at the difference people can make when they pull together.

To learn more and see how you can help, go to www.alliedchurches.org. Right now, they are raising money through the sale of Holiday cards-which you can buy at any Wachovia Bank branch in the state.

Durham County
November 22^nd, 2007

I volunteered with the Thanksgiving lunch which the amazing folks at the Durham Rescue Mission served. The founder, the Rev. Ernie Mills, has built a program which feeds and houses about 200 resident men, women and families on a given day.

I asked him what the #1 attribute was of the majority of the guests walking into the Shelter for help, and he didn’t flinch in replying that 80% of the residents were combating some form of drug/alcohol abuse. Counseling services like those offered at the Shelter have, I’d suspect, much more impact than the billions of dollars of taxpayer money Washington politicians squander in the “war on drugs”— yet another long-running “war” to which we are losing lives and wasting resources which would be better spent on providing early education and intervention programs.

Rev. Mills seems to have figured that much out: the Shelter’s $3.5 million operating budget all comes from private donations in the community, for he does not want to have bureaucratic red tape to complicate the Shelter’s healing mission. I met and worked alongside many, many people who shared their stories of success; having turned their lives around at this wonderful faith-based community.

Later in the afternoon I ran into my friend and co-volunteer Derwin Dubose. Derwin and his girlfriend Lindsay Michel, who met while students at UNC-CH, took me on a tour of what was once a blighted neighborhood known as Barnes Avenue-now rebuilt through the Durham Housing Authority and Department of Housing & Urban Development Grants. A community activist and staffer at Ronald McDonald House, Derwin has seen firsthand how a little common sense and prudent federal investment in affordable housing can uplift a shattered community.

We all have much to be thankful for, as we do much to give, during this Holiday weekend.

And, each and every one of us is in some way sustained by hope: hope for a better North Carolina, a better future for our families, loved ones and neighbors. That’s why I am running to be your next United States Senator—so I can go to Washington as your representative, to step up for your interests as a statesman and a leader who will make you proud.

Forty-four years ago this day, a shining light went out across America when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. I remember that day as if it were yesterday, walking out of Miss Cotton’s first grade class at Irving Park Elementary School in Greensboro feeling sort of numb and saddened. Though I was but seven years old, I felt despair and a loss of hope. But, we as a nation recovered.

We will do so again. We won’t do so by continuing to settle for the status quo—that will bring us more of the same. We have yet to be the very best we can.

This race isn’t about me anymore than Thanksgiving is about any one of us. It’s about our families, our loved ones, our neighbors, our State, our country and our future.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of those having joined our campaign-and to those whose lives we can uplift. Let’s remember those brave young service men and woman in Iraq and Afghanistan who we are going to bring home to their families for Thanksgiving as soon as we can.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all—and I certainly need yours!”

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jim

November 12, 2007. I stopped in Alexander County to visit a furniture manufacturing facility in Taylorsville. Every politician and business leader from NC should take note of what a small band of North Carolinians can accomplish—even when competing on a global stage— pulling together and working hard to get results. That’s what the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Furniture Company is - a storybook success in NC’s once-domineering furniture industry which has largely moved offshore. Mitchell Gold took me on a tour of one of three manufacturing facilities which the company operates in Alexander County. Employing over 700 enthusiastic workers, the company is a model for a 21st century workplace environment which rewards and respects hard work, community and fair play.

Employees enjoy such benefits as an onsite daycare facility for their kids, a cafeteria which serves fresh, healthy meals, an employee store where anyone can arrange to have their laundry picked up or car washed- in addition to college tuition grants, top-line health insurance, sponsorship of youth athletic programs and a company gymnasium. Even the small details—like cleaning the bathrooms twice daily—foster an atmosphere of partnership between all of the company’s stakeholders.

I talked with numerous employees during the course of my visit. I took note that everyone used the same term and did so repeatedly: respect. Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is a shining example of a new values-based capitalism where companies take the responsibility to go beyond the letter of the law to provide motivating and satisfying work and contribute to solving social and environmental problems.

What I saw today is that companies with good values have true economic growth. And, that empowering people enhances business success as well as builds social capital. I’d like to take some of the lessons I’ve learned to Washington, D.C. and create a new social contract based on real family values that would encourage fair and flexible work places that are productive while also attending to the needs of employees and their families.

I also popped in to visit with reporter Micah Henry and publisher Lee Sharpe at The Taylorsville Times. This weekly paper has been a family affair for the Sharpes for over 70 years. We had a long chat—Micah had the first shot at interviewing me and then the three of us sat and talked about Alexander County. Mr. Sharpe’s a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne with a degree in business administration and the paper’s doing pretty well despite the fact that more readers are getting information from the internet these days.

Mr. Sharpe told me how Main Street merchants like the home appliance dealer and the clothing store were a thing of the past since Wal-Mart opened its big box store down the road. It’s clear that the demise of local business owners has had a ripple effect across the community, for it was those very merchants who reinvested their time, money and energy into the community’s civic and charitable organizations.

Alexander County no longer has a community hospital and its residents have to drive 20 minutes or more to either Iredell or Catawba County for medical care. Why? Mr. Sharpe told me that the not-for-profit hospital in Alexander County was losing anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000 annually in its emergency room alone. Like many hospitals across North Carolina and the US, the emergency room was also serving as a general practitioner’s office for people without health insurance. As a matter of fact, at The Taylorsville Times, Mr. Sharpe said that he pays more for his employee health care insurance costs more than newsprint!

In Washington, D.C. Senator Dole doesn’t have to worry about things like health insurance benefits. She receives top-of-the-line health care as a US Senator, or what she’d call socialized health care paid for by the taxpayers….though she was quick to vote to strip away health care insurance from over 120,000 kids in North Carolina whose families make too much to qualify for Medicaid and not enough to pay for private health insurance.

I’d suggest that Mrs. Dole stop by Taylorsville next time she’s in the area. There’s a lot to be learned from the people in that community— to anyone, that is, who takes the time to stop and listen.

Next stop: Guilford County.

Greetings,

It’s my 51st birthday today—a good age to capture 51% of the votes!

My request of you on my birthday is simple: become an inaugural member of the Ten Squad. Ten Squad members will contribute $10 and pledge to try to raise $100 for our Campaign by raising another $10 from nine of their friends. Over the next 10 days, we want to raise $100,000 from 1,000 people. It’ll be pretty simple if you all pitch in.

Our Campaign is sending a message that North Carolinians are tired of professional politicians and want real people from the real world with fresh voices in the Senate. This Campaign is not beholden to special interests and powers-that-be, for we know that (as my mother always said) “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”

When I’m elected as your next United States Senator on November 4th 2008, I’ll be going to Washington to represent all the people of this state, regardless if they supported me or not. That’s not only what I’ll be elected to do, it’s the right thing to do.

Get started as a member of the Ten Squad right contribute $10 and then email or call your friends, family and associates to do the same.

Thanks to all of you for your support.

More than 1.2 million of our North Carolina seniors could be put at risk if the Bush-Cheney administration goes forward with its plan to slash payments to local doctors providing medical care for the elderly. Not only does this policy increase the cost of Medicare for patients and taxpayers, but it undermines the physicians on whom the system depends.

It’s a pretty simple equation: Elizabeth Dole’s political allies are proposing a cut of more than 10 percent in Medicare payments next year and an additional five percent cut in 2009. These cuts will cost North Carolina physicians who care for our seniors and disabled citizens $460 million over the next two years. That’s about one-seventh of what the White House is spending each week on its misadventure in Iraq.

As a businessman and a citizen of this state, I can tell you that this is yet another instance of wanton, reckless allocation of our taxpayers’ dollars by Washington politicians who are oblivious to the needs of the regular people they represent and more beholden to demands of special interest groups. Companies like Aetna, UnitedHealthCare, Humana, and other big insurance corporations are falling all over themselves to get their hands on taxpayer dollars while giving campaign contributions to Senator Dole and other Republicans who profess to want smaller government.

This morning I had my first virtual town hall discussion which is posted at http://www.BlueNC.com/
It’s the first time I’ve been a guest in an online forum and I’ve gotta say I had a blast. The questions were smart and to-the-point. The blogosphere is and will grow as a hugely important communications outlet for the campaign.

What I most enjoy and am committed to doing as much as humanly possible is making a personal connection with voters. The good people of our state should be the ones who get to evaluate me—not some GOP attack campaign. Let’s stay above the petty, ugly political games which did succeed in putting this Administration—and its supporters– into power. In this election, I have faith in the judgment of the people from our state, and our nation, to elect better representatives to work for them in Washington.

And I have faith that I will earn the support and votes of the people of North Carolina to be their next United States Senator.

http://bluenc.com/jim-neal-for-us-senate#comment-67821

I’m Jim Neal and I want to introduce myself to this incredible community.

As we move forward I’m going to need the help and support of each and every one of you so we can take our seat back and retire Liddy Dole to her apartment at the Watergate.

I’ve spoke with Grier Martin and we are damned lucky to have a public servant of his caliber in this state. Grier has a great future ahead of him and I look forward to having him in my foxhole in this fight.

I’m a guy who has lived, worked and raised a family in the real world. I understand the issues– very serious issues– which confront our state and our republic. I can not do this alone folks. I’m not running out of personal ambition or political aspiration. I’m running because I believe that government can, not in all but many instances, lead the nation in making positive change which touch all of us. Liddy Dole is no leader, and she doesn’t and hasn’t lived in the real world for the 40-odd years of her adult life spent inside the Beltway.

I’m a fighter. I am committed and will survive the mudslinging which comes in an election year when the GOP is vulnerable, scared, without substance and rudderless. I ain’t afraid of the briar patch, and I am running this race to win.

I thank you and I look forward to meeting and speaking with you.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 47th annual Vance-Aycock Dinner in Asheville.

Our hospitality suite was next to that of the legendary Jim Long. Both Jim and I are storytellers, and I think we could have talked all night. I asked the Commissioner what I can expect to eat on the campaign trail, and he answered without hesitation: Eastern BBQ and Western BBQ (fortunately, I like both!).

It was great to see Wayne Goodwin from the 8th District again. Wayne was one of the first people in my suite, joined by Sam Spencer, Vinod Thomas, and many others, all of whom gave me an early and gracious welcome to the race.

At the dinner, I had the good fortune to meet Congressman Heath Shuler from the 11th District. Heath’s win over the entrenched Charles Taylor last year set the stage for what will be even greater gains by our Party in 2008 in taking down GOP incumbents. I also had a chance to speak with my good buddy Larry Kissell, the next Congressman from the 8th District. Larry’s an inspiration to me and has given me some wonderful advice from a race in which he lost the battle but is primed to win the war in 2008.

Along with members of my staff, I had the honor of sitting at the dinner with six law enforcement officers from Western North Carolina. Aside from enjoying their company, their insights on how drug abuse is at the core of most crimes in our State is yet another wake up call to us all of about the enormous social and fiscal costs of the drug trade.

As the keynote speaker, Mudcat Saunders is without peer; both in the message he delivers and the way he delivers it. He is a great American and a true patriot. It was a lot of fun to chat with him afterwards.

After a quick backslap from her husband I spoke with Carolyn Hunt, a first lady in every sense of the word wherever she may be. An incredibly gracious couple, they have a knack for making anyone feel welcome in their company.

After dinner, our hospitality suite was rockin’! In addition to “more mature” folks like me, the energy level of the NC College Democrats and Young Democrats was infectious. These young people—amongst them Drew Ball, Zack Hawkins, Bradley Hardy and Douglas Massengill- are the future of the party. The greater they’re involved and get their peers to vote, the greater the chances our party will carry elections across the state. It was also inspiring speaking to other candidates, such as Ed Ridpath, Beth Wood and Janet Cowell.

And, last but not least—thanks to Jerry Meek and all of the staff at the NCDP for pulling off a memorable gathering.

I don’t expect this race to be a walk in the park, but it’s going to be one hell of a ride, and I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for all the money in the world. I look forward to having y’all join me on this exciting journey.

I’m getting back to work. I appreciate and acknowledge your support. It counts a lot.

Jim Neal.