Politics is more than the candidates, voting, and sending money. Behind the scenes, there are many other opportunities to be involved with the political process. Many people feel disconnected from the process because they feel that politicians won't listen to the average person unless you buy them with your campaign contributions. As stories of '96 presidential campaign law violations keep coming from Washington, the cynical attitude of many people has some merit. However, over the course of the next several months, I plan to not only interview the candidates, but also those who are active behind the scenes. People can influence the political process in ways other than with the checkbook .

For my first article in this series, I interviewed Steve Thomlison, John Breslow's campaign manager. Steve is only 28 years old, but has already had a lifetime of experience in politics. First as a volunteer, then as a paid campaign worker and staff member in both the Unicameral and the United States Congress.

Mr. Thomlison, who is a native of Kearney, became interested in politics while in high school during the mid-1980's. He was involved in both debate and speech. In 1986, he decided that he really liked State Treasurer Kay Orr (who was running for governor of Nebraska) as well as President Ronald Reagan. They were both Republicans, so he decided that he too was a Republican. At the age of 17, he started making phone calls to people that he knew were Republicans in order to get involved with the Orr campaign. He says, "I kept asking people who I knew were Republicans, but nobody knew what to do. Finally, someone put me in touch with Kay Orr's Buffalo County chairman. It was quite a tedious process. Looking back on it, I am amazed that I stuck with it. I had to make at least 10-15 phone calls."

He didn't immediately get placed in a position of importance. The county chairman asked Thomlison to go to the Buffalo County Fair and ask people to put bumper stickers on their cars. So, he took a brush and bucket of water and, with some friends, stood out in the parking area, asking people if he could put a bumper sticker on their car. After that, Thomlison says, "I started attending county meetings of the Republican party and was hooked on politics."

He attended the University of Nebraska, where he majored in Political Science and Economics Education. At the University, he got involved with the College Republicans and served an internship in Washington D.C. for Senator David Karnes. Because of these activities, he met Bill Barrett, Speaker of the Unicameral at the time. Barrett was running for the 3rd district congressional seat of Virginia Smith, who was retiring. Thomlison attended Barrett's announcement speech in North Platte, where he hung up signs and clapped for Barrett. He says, "One thing lead to another and Barrett hired me to work on his campaign staff. I was in charge of all 65 counties in the district, organizing people. So, I really got to know western Nebraska in helping elect Mr. Barrett."

This experience in western Nebraska caused Dan Urwiller to hire Thomlison to manage his re-election campaign to the Public Service Commission, representing western Nebraska. Urwiller won easily, and Thomlison returned to the University. He continued to work on his degree and went to work as a legislative aid for State Senator Kate Witek.

In 1994, Jon Christensen hired Thomlison to be his campaign manager, which was another successful campaign. Christensen defeated incumbent Peter Hoagland. Then, he went to Washington to serve as Christensen's chief-of-staff. Thomlison looks back fondly at this time in his career. "It was an exciting time to be in Washington, with the Republican Revolution and contract with America for the first 100 days."

He then resigned this position and returned to Nebraska to manage Attorney General Don Stenberg's bid for the Senate. This was Thomlison's first experience with losing. Thomlison had this to say about his first losing experience: "I hate to lose, but sometimes learn more from losing. The chief reason was probably money. We were outspent at least 7 to 1 on television." He went on to say this about Stenberg: "Of all the candidates I have worked for, Stenberg is the most qualified. He graduated first in his class at the same time from both the Harvard law school and business school."

Before going to work for Breslow, Thomlison had one more losing experience. He went to Iowa and worked on Jim Ross Lightfoot's failed bid for the U.S. Senate in 1996. He considered this a good and enjoyable experience because of Iowa's importance as the first battlefield of the presidential race. He got to meet most of the presidential candidates while working there.

Thomlison has several suggestions for people who want to be involved with the political process. First, he says that legislators really do listen to their constituents. He says, "Call your senators, send them a letter, or e-mail about a bill you care about." From his experience, he learned that every senator keeps a file on every bill containing the comments of the constituents. The staff counts to see how many are in favor and how many oppose the bill so the senator can use them as evidence to show popular support or opposition to a bill.

Thomlison had this to say about Bill Barrett: "I can tell you that while Speaker of the Unicameral, Barrett personally opened and answered all his letters. While driving in the big 3rd district (while campaigning for Congress), I would drive and Bill would read his letters, make notes, and answer the letters. If he went to Imperial, he had a file of all the letters he had received from there and would look the people up and talk to them."

He also suggests that you keep yourself as informed as possible by reading up on the issues that matter to you. The legislature will send out free, to anyone who asks, the Unicameral Update that gives a synopsis of all bills. Also, keep in contact with organizations that you might belong to, such as the Cattleman's Association, which reports on the legislature activities.

To become involved in the campaign process, Thomlison said, "You can put in as much time as you want. Every little bit matters. Little things that take little time can have huge dividends." For example, you can put a bumper sticker in your back car window or a yard sign in your front yard. "A campaign staff member will even come put up the sign and take it down, if you want."

Thomlison contends that "these things do matter because your friends and neighbors see these things and think if you support someone, maybe they should consider voting for them as well."

If you want to put in a little more effort, Thomlison suggests writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, supporting the candidate of your choice. "It only takes a few minutes to write a letter, but it is one of the most widely read areas of newspapers; so, it can have a lot of influence."

If you want to give a little more time, contact the campaign and make some phone calls in your community, supporting the candidate. If you aren't sure what to say, the campaign will even give you a script of what to say. If you live in a community where the campaign sets up an actual office, you could go down and answer the phones there for an afternoon or two.

In Nebraska, Thomlison also reminds us that we have a direct voice in government through the initiative process. If the politicians don't do what we want, we can take things into our own hands and put the issue to a vote of the people. However, he warns that "we ought to be concerned with the attempts of the legislature and courts to restrict this process. It is a check and balance that is being eroded by the arrogance of elected officials."

Thomlison's experience shows we can have an impact on the political process, if we take the time to be involved. Simple little things that take very little time and money can influence what bills are passed and who gets elected.

If passing out literature and putting bumper stickers on cars sounds like a good time, you might even consider a political career. Mr. Thomlison has an impressive resume. He is obviously intelligent, well spoken, and personable to be around. But, when I first met him this past summer at the Nebraska State Fair, he was doing essentially the same thing he did in his first experience in politics. While he gets paid for it now, he had advanced from standing in the parking lot offering to put bumper stickers on cars to standing at a booth in the Devaney Center passing out stickers, literature, and bumper stickers. That might not be your cup of tea and might seem mundane, but it reminds us that success in politics ultimately comes by gaining the trust and support of the people. Candidates and their staff wouldn't be out meeting the people if we still weren't the source of their power.