“Gillespie” on FTRradio.com (airing every Tuesday at our new time of 9pm…and I need a new icon) made it’s triumphant return to the internet radio waves last month after about a five month absence.  But my cohort Mark Warner and I returned with a vengeance and well, it’s time to to update the blog and the iTunes stream as well.  So I’ll be uploading all of our shows so far every day here until I’m caught up.  Then I’ll return to the normal schedule of posting the podcasts weekly.

Anyway, for the first show back our guest was Raz Shafer of American Majority.  We also brought back the ever popular “Ask a RINO” segment with John Brodigan serving as the “RINO” of the week.  But Mark got a little more than he bargained for with our special surprise guest.

Missed previous episodes and want to catch up? Check out the archive here or subscribe on iTunes.

It’s two weeks late, but better late than never, right?  I had the wonderful fortune of attending attending CPAC 2012 this year and getting to visit with some friends I hadn’t seen in a long time.  Sure, we talk on Twitter, Facebook and even Skype, but there is nothing like actually being able to see old friends and put real faces to names you know on Twitter.  As one person said, “It’s like my timeline has come to life!”  Pretty much.

But while I was out there, I made sure to hunt down a couple of Indiana candidates for Federal office that I knew Hoosiers would want to hear from; Second Congressional District Candidate Jackie Walorski and U.S. Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock.  These two candidates have ignited the Tea Party movement all across the state and their conservative values are known far and wide.  Jackie is making her second attempt at the Second Congressional after falling just shy of victory in 2010.  Her opponent then, Congressman Joe Donnelly, has bypassed the chance to defend his seat again and is the presumed Democrat nominee for Senate against the winner of the Richard Lugar/Richard Mourdock U.S. Senate GOP Primary.  (See how the worlds collide? )  The following are the interviews I conducted with Ms. Walorski and Mr. Mourdock.  Additionally, there is video of the speeches they made at CPAC.

• Jackie Walorski

Finally, I had the chance to speak with Paul Conway of GenerationOpportunity.org.  Mr. Conway’s group is targeting 18 – 29 year olds to educate them about politics and government, like “Rock the Vote”, but from a conservative perspective.  They really understand the use of Social Media and how to use it reach out to this group of voters who are typically considered apathetic.  They also provide tools to empower potential young activists by showing them how to write blog posts, write press releases, how to be an effective guest on radio or t.v. and even how to organize local events.  This was quite the eye opening interview.

• Paul Conway, President of GenerationOpportunity.org

For the last three years, I’ve been asked to address the Indiana Leadership Forum (ILF) on the use of social media and he grassroots.  As an ILF grad (Class of ’08) it’s something I love to do.  As I put this year’s presentation together, it really hit me just how much social media will be influencing the election cycle this year.  In fact, I wanted to record my presentation to share here, but it ended up not working out.  Instead,  I’ll share my presentation and say that if you’d like to know more or have me present this information to your campaign or organization, contact me here.

A few highlights and stats to consider though:

• As of July 2011 there are 200 million registered Twitter accounts
• 83.8% of Twitter users are between the ages of 18-49
• Twitter can be a useful fundraising mechanism as 30% of Twitter users have a household income over $100,000
• There are 845 million active Facebook users world wide
• As of April 2011, 50.09% of the U.S. population is actively using Facebook
• The average Facebook user spends 20 minutes per visit
• 250 million photos are uploaded daily
• In 2008 44.3 million Facebook users voted.  In 2012 that’s estimated to be 143.3 million
• In 2008, 3.4 million Twitter users voted.  In 2012 it’s estimated that number grows to 24.1 million
• The gold standard for a social media campaign that engages the grassroots is still President Obama’s 2008 campaign

Social media is clearly having its impact.  It will never replace boots on the ground, but social media users are a growing segment of society and the electorate, are actively engaged in politics and ready to be targeted and empowered.

My Democratic colleague Jennifer Wagner and I returned to the Fox 59 airwaves after a two week hiatus.  We were definitely ready to get down to the topics at hand.  In this segment we discussed the growing concerns regarding Senator Lugar’s residency status here in Indiana, the recent endorsement by the Club for Growth of Lugar’s primary opponent Richard Mourdock and President Obama’s recently submitted budget.

Well, I’ve redesigned my website.  It went from being more “blog like” to more of an actual website.  I wanted to provide a broader view of who I am, what I do and what I can offer.  In a way, this new site is a broader look into who I am.

You will still get the blog posts, the political commentary and the occasional snark.  You’ll still get the links to past episodes of “Gillespie” on FTR, but you’ll also get a look at some of the things I’ve worked on in the past, plus get a glimpse of who I am outside of “work”.

So, I hope you like the new site.  Let me know what you think.

My friend and colleague on the other side of the aisle, Jennifer Wagner, and I were back in the Fox 59 studios debating the hot political
topics of the day.  We continued to discuss the hot State House topic of “Right to Work” and Mitch Daniels’ final State of the State address.  We also talked about Mitt Romney and how it looks going forward for him to wrap up the GOP nomination.

Interesting closing question: If Mitt Romney wraps up the nomination early, does that not bode well for Senator Lugar’s primary chances? (Presuming Romney wrapping things up early means a lower turnout of moderate Republicans and Independents.)

By the way, if you like these segments, let Fox 59 know about it!  Contact them on Twitter, Facebook or on Fox59.com.

One other blogger and I had the chance to sit down with Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma right after Governor Mitch Daniels’ final State of the State address.  Most of the conversation centered around the “Right to Work” legislation, but we covered a few other topics as well including priorities for the rest of the session (should the House Democrats play nice and show up for work) as well as the Mitch’s final address.

Jen Wagner and I appeared again on FOX 59 earlier this week to discuss the hot topic of “Right to Work” the Indiana General Assembly as well as Presidential politics and the impact Indiana may have.

This is just the start of what will be a weekly appearance on FOX 59 during the 5pm hour every Thursday.  As you can tell from this segment, there is going to be plenty to talk about here in Indiana over the next several month and all year.  So make sure to tune in!

In case you missed it last night, Jen Wagner and I were on Fox 59 last night to debate the results of the Indianapolis Mayor’s race between Republican Mayor Greg Ballard and Democratic challenger Melina Kennedy.  In the second half of the segment Fox 59 anchor Fanchon Stinger asks me what the first thing Mayor Ballard needs to do tomorrow (meaning today).  Basically I said he needs to stay the course of what he’s doing.  The fact is, according to last week’s WISH-TV/Franklin College poll, fifty-five percent of the voters surveyed believe Indianapolis is headed in the right direction. The Indy Star’s Matt Tully expanded further this sentiment in his election wrap-up this morning when he wrote:

Even the lack of an agenda for a second term didn’t bother voters.

In winning, the Cathedral High School graduate has created a template for other executive branch candidates to use in cities — or even states — that don’t lean in their directions: Just do the job.

Pave the streets. Balance the budgets. Reform the police department. Improve basic city services. Look for creative ways to raise money that don’t involve taxes. Remain as nonpolitical as possible. Essentially, that means focusing squarely on the issues that affect daily life.

Voters just want a mayor who will do the job and work with those around him to make the quality of life better and more vibrant.  Mayor Ballard was able to accomplish that and I see him doing more of the same in a second term.

As a side note, the hissing/buzzing you hear in the first few minutes of the video is a result of me leaving my iPhone in my pocket which caused interference with the lapel mic.

It’s Election Day and after all the votes are cast and the ballots are counted, local television will be lit up with post election commentary ofwho should have done what and when.  Winners and losers will be broken down.  The victors will be lauded while those fall in defeat will be second guessed.  That’s where I (and my Democrat friend Jen Wagner) come in.  Tonight at 10pm on Fox 59, Jen and I will be putting on our partisan caps and discussing the 2011 municipal races…minus the boxing ring.  Make sure to tune in and watch us break down the days results.