by Jessica Milicevic
UT Staff Writer

As the country focusing on the national primaries, there are local races getting set to take place as well. In case you haven’t heard of him, Jim Neal is running in North Carolina against Elizabeth Dole for the Democratic nomination for the Senate; and although his name may be unfamiliar, his grassroots campaign is igniting a fire.

Neal describes himself as a simple man from a simple background. He is not from a political family, he says and has no formal political background; that is, he has never run for or held a public political office.

He therefore considers himself untainted by the dirty game of politics and his passion to make real change in our state and nation is still widely enthusiastic.

He is not, in his words, a “professional politician.” Instead, Neal calls himself a man of change, although he is worried that after the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary being dubbed “an advocate for change” that it has become somewhat of an overused catch phrase, he believes wholeheartedly that he will change things for the better for the citizens of this country.

He truly does believe that “change is hope.”

But what changes does he plan to make? The way he is running his campaign is one of the first changes in the political system that can be noticed.

Instead of relying on large-dollar campaign donations from companies such as Wachovia, Neal depends on his small-dollar donations to fund his campaign.

By doing this, hebelieves he will not be forced to yield to the hand of the large donators, doing whatever they ask of him. His grassroots campaign is one that he is very ardent about, and one he wants to make very clear by basing a very large part of his support in the young people of our state.

“Young people have more power than they’ve ever had before,” says Neal, “and hold the true power to create real change in this nation. And that’s why I’m going to speak at every major college and university in the state to make sure that young people know real change can be made.”

Neal also has some goals in mind in terms of what he will do once elected to office. He believes in approaching problems in a different way, and that true compromise can be made in Congress if everyone is willing to give and take.

He believes that Congress has forgotten who they work for; that they feel they have no accountability and face no consequences for their actions.

Neal said he wants to go to Congress and have the voices of people be heard. Once in Congress, he wants to tackle the major issues on his priority list; beginning with health care, the environment, the war in Iraq, and of course, education.

There are several issues facing students that Jim Neal wants to tackle, especially when it comes to the rising costs of textbooks and tuition in universities across the nation. Education is high on his priority list, and Neal had this to say about what he plans to do to help us:

“Education should be a right, not a privilege,” Neal said. “I want to increase the amount of federal aid students are receiving, making it easier for them to attend school, without feeling the heavy burden of debt after they graduate.”

Everyone has heard the rumors that Social Security benefits may not be available for us by the time we need to use it.

“I believe in Social Security,” Neal said, “and that it was implemented in order to continue to help those who have worked their entire lives by paying them a salary, even after they have stopped working. I will make sure that this program is still available for your generation, no matter what.”

As far as other issues are concerned, such as the environment, health care and the war in Iraq, he has some intelligent ideas on how to improve upon them.

He has complete faith in alternative fuels and America’s ability to become oil-independent, and believes we need to lead the way in the fight against global warming. He also has high expectations for our health care system – expectations that have depressingly been let down in recent years.

He wants to attack health care from every angle, from the insurance agencies to the pharmaceutical companies to the doctors, and everyone in-between. Neal also is against our involvement in the Middle East, and wants to bring our men and women home as soon as possible.

“I have high hopes for this country,” he said. “I believe in it, and I believe in its people. Put me in the Senate, and I will show you what I can do.”

Jim Neal is not a bleeding-heart optimist, who believes that all the world needs is sunshine and smiles to make it go round. Although he has very high hopes for this state and the nation, he also realizes that it has been run into the ground by the current administration, and knows the road to rebuilding our nation’s global reputation will be a long and difficult one.

“Our nation has to restore its dignity and respect that the Bush administration lost since they took office eight years ago. Arrogance is the reason our approval rating is so low in other countries; Bush is nothing but a bully, and we need to get a progressive Democrat in the White House and in Congress so we can fix all that he destroyed.”
Jim Neal will be traveling to 17 colleges and universities across the state in the coming months. For more information you can visit his website, studentsforjimneal.com.