Don Gonyea

IRS Inquiries Crossed The Line, Tea Party Groups Say

Don Gonyea — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:35:00 +0000

Tea Party activists are calling for a full investigation, and possibly lawsuits, following revelations that the Internal Revenue Service flagged so-called patriot groups for extra scrutiny in applications for federal tax-exempt status.

Among those claiming unjust and unconstitutional targeting by the IRS is a group called TheTeaParty.net, which bills itself as the largest grass-roots conservative Tea Party organization in the country.

Washington-based attorney Dan Backer, who represents the group, says he does not have a problem with the IRS checking to make sure applicants for nonprofit s

On Recess, Senators Get An Earful Over Failed Gun Vote

Don Gonyea — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Senators whose votes on the gun bill got attention back home have been getting an earful during the recess week, when many are back in their states.

How Will Obama Make His Case On Syria?

Don Gonyea — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000

The U.S. role in the civil war in Syria has been limited to humanitarian aid and nonlethal equipment for the rebels. But that may change with recent revelations about the use of chemical weapons.

Polls show that Americans are still not paying close attention to the conflict, but there is a reluctance to intervene — a byproduct of the experience in Iraq.

President Obama says he's weighing all options. Whatever he decides, he'll have to make a case to the U.S. public.

There are voices in Washington trying to ratchet up the pressure on the White House to do more about Syria.

Presidents Overlook Differences At Bush Center Opening

Don Gonyea — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:17:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The president's appearance at that memorial service came on the same day he joined with all his living predecessors. He met with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, whose presidential library was dedicated in Texas.

A photograph sent out on Twitter, incidentally by former President Clinton, shows the five men in a circle, chatting.

George W. Bush Presidential Center Dedicated In Dallas

Don Gonyea — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:05:00 +0000

All five living presidents gathered in Dallas on Thursday for the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Immigration Debate Puts Farm Workers Union In Spotlight

Don Gonyea — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:09:00 +0000

A new immigration bill is expected to be introduced in the U.S.

Supreme Court's Same-Sex Marriage Docket Draws Crowds

Don Gonyea — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:40:00 +0000

Pro-gay marriage forces won the real estate battle in front of the Supreme Court Tuesday on the first of two days of arguments on the subject inside the court. On the National Mall, a rally was held for traditional marriage.

Outside the Supreme Court, The Arguments Continue

Don Gonyea — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:05:00 +0000

As oral arguments were beginning Tuesday in the first of two same-sex marriage cases inside the Supreme Court, the steps in front of the court were filled with throngs of what looked to be mostly gay-marriage supporters, spilling out in front of the building and to the other side of the street.

About a half hour earlier, a parade of traditional-marriage supporters had arrived, later headed to a rally on the National Mall.

At the court, some of those who held up signs denouncing gay marriage and warning that God would not approve were overwhelmed by their adversaries, who stood in front of

CPAC Showcases Mix Of Conservative Visions

Don Gonyea — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:14:00 +0000

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference wraps Saturday. NPR's Don Gonyea gives the highlights from the annual gathering of conservatives.

Rob Portman Becomes Only Republican In The Senate To Support Gay Marriage

Don Gonyea — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:19:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, announced today that he's reversing his opposition to same-sex marriage. Portman's op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch makes him the first GOP senator to publicly support gay marriage. He said he made the switch because of a personal family experience. Portman's college-age son told his family in 2011 that he is gay.

In the past, Portman actively supported a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman. He's had prominence in the Republican Party, not just as a senator.

Controversies Over CPAC Reflect GOP's Woes

Don Gonyea — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:26:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Every year at this time, some of the biggest stars and activists of the conservative movement gather in the Washington, D.C. area. The big event is called the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. There are speakers, panel discussions, movie screenings and lots of book signings.

Why Republicans Are Out Of Step With Young Voters

Don Gonyea — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:16:00 +0000

Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus has begun a series of meetings with groups that have overwhelmingly gone Democratic in the past two presidential elections.

He's sitting down with Latino and Asian voters and with young people across the country. The youth group is of particular concern to the GOP because voting habits established at this stage could last a lifetime.

College students at Ohio State University were eager to talk about the state of the GOP brand.

Most Republicans Who Signed Support For Same-Sex Marriage Aren't In Office

Don Gonyea — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:24:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

Next month, the Supreme Court will take up a highly anticipated challenge to California's Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage. Today, a group of prominent Republicans weighed in with a legal brief opposing the ban. That puts them at odds with their party's position. But as NPR's Don Gonyea reports, it puts them in line with public opinion.

DON GONYEA, BYLINE: The long-held official GOP position on gay marriage remains in place.

The Man In Black Goes To The County Fair

Don Gonyea — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 10:32:00 +0000

I started out in radio more than 30 years ago. My first job right out of college was as a country-western DJ at WVMO, my hometown radio station in Monroe, Mich.

I have many boxes of cassette tapes stashed in my basement, including one that has a recording from the Monroe County Fair in the summer of 1981. I remember standing there with my microphone. To my right were the grandstands where they do the demolition derby. To my left was this big, silver tour bus.

College Republicans Offer GOP Advice For Winning Over Their Generation

Don Gonyea — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:59:00 +0000

During President Obama's State of the Union address this week, 14 members of the College Republicans at Ohio State University gathered in a meeting room at their student union on campus in Columbus, Ohio.

The president's speech, which they watched on a giant flat-screen TV, was punctuated with groans, rebuttal, criticisms and sarcasm from this young audience.

How The Labor Movement Did A 180 On Immigration

Don Gonyea — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:48:00 +0000

The AFL-CIO begins a big push this week to build momentum for comprehensive changes to the nation's immigration laws.

But it wasn't long ago that organized labor viewed illegal workers in the U.S.

Sidelined By War, Bush Also Sought For Immigration Reform

Don Gonyea — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 11:39:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

Immigration reform took center stage this week in Washington, D.C. President Obama embraced it and a bipartisan group of eight senators offered a plan to strengthen border security and provide a path to citizenship with the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The last major effort to rewrite the nation's immigration laws was in 2007 under President George W.

For GOP Comeback, Leaders Urge Stepped-Up Outreach

Don Gonyea — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 10:27:00 +0000

In their first big party gathering since Election Day, Republican leaders from around the country met in Charlotte, N.C., this week.

The GOP is promising a great deal of change in advance of the next election, but one area where there will be no change for the party is in its leadership. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was elected to another two-year term.

In his acceptance speech, he cited a simple reason why Republicans failed to win the White House and lost seats in the House and Senate in November.

"I'm no math whiz; I'm an attorney.

At Winter Gathering, GOP Asks: Where Do We Go From Here?

Don Gonyea — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:32:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmGO0mV_lfE

Latino Voters Urge Obama To Keep Immigration Promise

Don Gonyea — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:32:00 +0000

Latino voters were a key to President Obama's victory in November, turning out in big numbers and supporting Obama by more than 2 to 1 over Republican Mitt Romney.

Now, many of those voters say it's time for Obama to do something he did not do in his first term: push hard for and sign a comprehensive immigration overhaul.

Let's start with a group of Latinos — young and old, some U.S. citizens, some not — heading from Florida to Washington, D.C., for Obama's inauguration and for meetings with members of Congress.