Jim Neal

A bit late-- the corks have long been popped...

I just wanted to take a moment and thank all of your BlueNCers for your efforts over the past year in making 2008 the most successful election in North Carolina in my lifetime.

Your advocacy propelled the stunning victories of Kay and Larry-- two outsiders who worked incredibly hard to beat entrenched incumbents. Bev-- our first female Governor- was lifted over-the-top in a very competitive Gubernatorial race in which every vote was critical. Then there were the slew of first-time statewide candidates including Walter Dalton, Janet, Beth Wood, Wayne Goodwin and God-knows whom else I forgot. It was a good year for new faces; the vintage 2008 political vine has an impressive body and texture

In the North Carolina and Oregon Democratic US Senate primaries this year, two great progressive candidates ran for the nomination: Jim Neal (NC) and Steve Novick (OR). The DSCC, who is not supposed to pick sides in a primary, appears to have secretly funded their preferred candidates anyway (Kay Hagan (NC) and Jeff Merkley (OR)).

If the DSCC leaders personally had a preference, that’s fine. BUT IT IS NOT OK TO FUNNEL MONEY TO ONE CANDIDATE OVER ANOTHER IN A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY!!!! That's unfairly taking sides and deliberately influencing an election, and that is not what the Democratic Party is about.

(Crossposted from the Daily Kos)

Thanks to a totally unexpected but much appreciated invitation from former Senatorial candidate Jim Neal, I made my way to New Bern Saturday morning to attend the Sanford-Hunt Dinner later that evening.

I had originally planned to drive all the way to the Atlantic Beach area and spend the afternoon body-surfing, girl-watching and sun-worshiping (this is the "research" I had mentioned before), but the overcast and sprinkly weather led me to believe those unhealthy/inappropriate activities were not going to be available, so I headed into downtown New Bern to see what those Democrats were up to.

Right after NC's primary, I felt bitter, betrayed, and like all my work had been for nothing. I felt silenced, like my voice, and the voices of everyone who voted for Jim Neal, would be ignored going into the general election. So Hillary supporters, I get what you're feeling, I really do. And you need some time -- time to grieve, express your anger, and come to terms with the fact that the primaries didn't return the results you worked so hard for.

Democrat in the White House in January.

Certainly, there has been a great deal of back-and-forth bickering between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton’s campaigns – and each candidate has millions of passionate supporters. But now it’s time for unity – and I believe the best way to unite the party is to unite the two strongest candidates our party has ever seen.

That’s why I support an Obama-Clinton ticket.

a Democratic Congress!

A little background: I've been living out of my truck since September, working for various progressive Democratic causes across the country. In September, I went to Jena. In the fall, I led a grassroots group to save mass transit funding in Charlotte, NC while working on the Democratic coordinated campaign for the local races in Charlotte. In November, I started working in Iowa for Joe Biden. And in January, I moved to Chapel Hill to work for Jim Neal. But I'm turning 23 today on the 23rd, and I'm ready to work for a Democratic Congress the best way I know how - with ActBlue!

What's kept me sane has been the generosity and energy of the volunteers on all of these campaigns. I met some of the nicest people (and best cooks) I've ever met in Iowa, while activists in Chapel Hill graciously opened their houses to me. I owe a lot of friends - some of them bloggers here at Daily Kos - a big thank you for their help (a few of them even thought enough of me to elect me as a Democratic Presidential Elector in NC-12 earlier this week).

So, in the spirit of gratitude - all I want for my birthday is Democratic victory in November! More below the fold ...

Does Edwards endorsement of Obama move NC into the Swing State category?

On primary night I liveblogged from Southern Rail in Carrboro, where Jim Neal held his after-party. Here are some thoughts from the evening -- and observations about the big picture.

PAC Donations according to the FEC...

Kay Hagan... $146,000
Jim Neal.... ZERO

So which one is the people's candidate and which one is the special interest candidate?