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

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.

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.

Outside the Supreme Court, The Arguments Continue

Don Gonyea — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:06:00 +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

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.

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.

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.

For Young Republican, Defying Boehner In Washington Plays Well Back Home

Don Gonyea — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:57:00 +0000

When the rumored rebellion against House Speaker John Boehner's bid for a second term played out last week, the very first Republican to not vote for Boehner was Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., just three names into the alphabetical roll call.

The revolt failed, with fewer than a dozen House Republicans following Amash's lead. Now, the 32-year-old second-term congressman is back in his Grand Rapids-based district for the first time since that drama.

Tea Party May Be Losing Steam, But Issues Still Boil

Don Gonyea — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:57:00 +0000

The battle over how to avoid the looming cuts and tax increases known as the fiscal cliff is a frustrating one for the Tea Party.

Rice Controversy Raising Ayotte's Profile

Don Gonyea — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire has been standing side by side with colleagues John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina in questioning the Obama administration's version of events about the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September.

It is just the latest in a series of high-profile moments for Ayotte, who is seen as a rising star in a party struggling to win female voters.

For McCain and Graham, both longtime senators, the main focus in the Benghazi story has been U.N.

Update From Ohio: Ballot Dispute

Don Gonyea — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:45:00 +0000

Ohio is possibly the most important state in this presidential race. A challenge over early voting there has turned into a dispute over provisional ballots.

America's Changing Face Presents An Opportunity For The GOP

Don Gonyea — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 09:06:00 +0000

The final days of an election cycle bring an obsession with the short term — the very short term. Daily tracking polls. A relentless get-it, post-it, blog-it news cycle. Trending topics on Twitter telling us something (though it's not always clear what).

But for just a moment, let's slow it down, look at what's happening over a somewhat longer time frame, and see what it tells us about what the country will look like for the winner of the presidential race.

The Long View

McGovern's Life Leaves More Than A Lost Presidency

Don Gonyea — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:06:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orx63ix1y-o

Volunteers Labor To Get Early Voters Out In Iowa

Don Gonyea — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:51:00 +0000
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
On a Monday, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And I'm Renee Montagne.
Never mind Election Day, we're in the middle of election season. That's definitely true in Iowa, one of the states that allows early voting and a state that is being fiercely contested.

Strict Private School Prepped Romney To 'Aim High'

Don Gonyea — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 10:45:00 +0000
From now until November, President Barack Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will emphasize their differences. But the two men's lives actually coincide in a striking number of ways. In this installment of NPR's "Parallel Lives" series, a look at Romney's time at Cranbrook, an all-boys prep school in Michigan.
Cranbrook has been coed since the mid-1980s, its overall diversity is quite evident and the dress code is casual. None of that was true when Mitt Romney, class of 1965, was a student there.
"Very traditional school.

No. 2s: Biden, Ryan Square Off in Combative Debate

Don Gonyea — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:23:00 +0000
Vice President Joe Biden and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan engaged in a memorable and highly combative debate Thursday night in Danville, Kentucky. It's the only time the two men, who occupy the second spots on their party's presidential tickets, will square off before the election.

Nev. Voters Scrutinize Candidates' Economic Messages

Don Gonyea — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:23:00 +0000
President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney have made multiple trips to the battleground state of Nevada this year. Romney was there again Friday. Nevada has the worst jobless rate in the nation, and it's a place where recent distractions from Romney's economic message could hurt his chances of winning. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Paul Ryan A Star Attraction For Values Voters

Don Gonyea — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 10:01:00 +0000
In this election, Christian conservatives seem to be more against President Obama than they are for Mitt Romney. But they do like GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, who used a speech Friday to vouch for Romney.
At the annual gathering of religious conservatives in Washington, D.C., there was also talk of this week's violence in the Middle East.
The Values Voter Summit got under way first thing Friday morning, with a speech from Tony Perkins, whose Family Research Council organizes this event.
"The Republican delegates met in Tampa for their convention.

In The Ohio River Valley, Voters Aren't Sure Either Candidate Can Help

Don Gonyea — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:36:00 +0000
Most of the election-year attention Ohio gets is focused on the heavily Democratic areas in the northeast around Cleveland, or in GOP strongholds in rural areas and in the south around Cincinnati.
But it's also worth keeping a close eye on the state's less-traveled southeastern border with Pennsylvania and West Virginia — the Ohio River Valley.

Janesville Librarians Prepared For Onslaught Of Reporters

Don Gonyea — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:30:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
For the residents of Janesville, Wisconsin, Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate was a story of a local man becoming the biggest news in the country. But for the librarians of Janesville, it meant something else entirely, as NPR's Don Gonyea found out last week.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: When I'm on the road working on a story, and I find myself in a town I'm not very familiar with, my first stop is often the local public library. I walk in. I say that I don't live here, that I'm a reporter. I'm looking for local history.

In Colorado With Rep. Ryan

Don Gonyea — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:14:00 +0000
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan continues to introduce himself to voters. Over the weekend, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced Ryan would be his running mate. So far, Ryan has campaigned exclusively in battleground states that were carried by Democrats in 2008.

In Brawl Over Romney's Tax Returns, Harry Reid Gets Marquee Billing

Don Gonyea — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:15:00 +0000
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's decision not to release more of his past tax returns has fueled countless attacks and counterattacks.
The former Massachusetts governor has released his 2010 tax return and promises that his 2011 return is forthcoming. He says that's enough.
But that's not enough for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Older, Tougher — But Will The Tea Party Be Stronger?

Don Gonyea — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:26:00 +0000
The 2010 elections were a coming of age for the Tea Party, with big gains in Congress and in statehouses. As 2012 approached, the movement was looking for similar success. Then came this year's GOP presidential primaries, with no surviving Tea Party favorite.
Polls showed public support for the movement falling off significantly after several nasty showdowns in Congress. But the Tea Party remains a force in many states. Its favored candidate for the U.S.

He's A Long Shot, But Don't Count Huckabee Out

Don Gonyea — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 10:29:00 +0000
Among the many contenders who could wind up becoming presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's running mate, there are some potential surprises — like former presidential candidate-turned TV and radio host Mike Huckabee.
Putting Huckabee on the GOP ticket could certainly liven up the presidential race. In addition to being a respected former governor of Arkansas, he's well known for his good-natured public persona.

Tea Party Sees Ruling As New Rallying Cry

Don Gonyea — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:36:00 +0000
Some of the earliest and most vocal opponents of President Obama's health care law were members of the Tea Party.