Campaign Trail Results: Game #1090505
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Barack Obama
- Running Mate: Joe Biden
- Difficulty Level: Hard
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Barack Obama | 332 | 66,233,496 | 50.75 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 206 | 63,057,923 | 48.32 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 893,611 | 0.68 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 315,011 | 0.24 |
Visits:
- Ohio:7
- Florida:4
- North Carolina:1
Answers:
- Some involved with the space program have suggested sending astronauts to Mars, or even forming moon colonies. What is your take?Perhaps down the line we would consider that. I think at the present moment there are more urgent priorities.
- A recent Supreme Court decision affirmed an Arizona law allowing officers to check suspected illegal immigrants for proof of immigration status. Do you think this law is a good idea?The proper authority for enforcement rests with the federal government. This law goes further than federal laws and even if constitutional, should be repealed.
- Should the United States contribute funds to help stabilize the European Union's sovereign debt problems, in order to prevent a possible debt contagion?I trust that the European Union will find a way to resolve this issue.
- What can the U.S. do to assist pro-democracy protestors in Russia?We should be making public appeals to Vladimir Putin, and consider trade sanctions if he does not relax the political environment there.
- Do you support a larger fence or even a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration?I think that what we have now is sufficient. There's no need to constantly revisit this issue when the Border Patrol has seen documented success in reducing immigration over the past few years.
- What is your position on gay marriage?Gay marriage should be protected at the federal level. The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.
- Do you support allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire for high-income households at the end of 2012?Perhaps we can consider letting these expire at some point in the future, but for now we are mired in a stagnant economy and need to avoid tax increases.
- What do you think we should do next in regards to Social Security?You know, the projected shortfall that people talk of, we're not even talking about the Trust Fund making a net payout until 2033. Maybe there are some tweaks we can make to the program, but it is fundamentally sound.
- We have now had 10 years to analyze the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act. Do you think it is time for a change?This idea was a failure from day one. Federal education funds are needed the most in low-income districts which have disproportionately suffered from this legislation.
- Would it help our economy if government employment was increased? Or would this divert valuable resources from the private sector?I think it's a bad thing that overall government employment has dropped during the recession. This continues to be one the biggest obstacles to a stronger recovery.
- Do you support increased restrictions on handgun ownership?There should be increased safety requirements, and greater measures against illegal ownership by criminals. Sportsmen should be allowed to own handguns for personal use.
- Should middle school students learn about contraception in health class, or will this simply encourage them to experiment?I'm going to defer to local administrators on that question. That's not something the President should be involved with.
- The Affordable Care Act (i.e. 'Obamacare') will cap annual premiums, require minimum coverage levels, and outlaw discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. What do you think?I'm convinced that this program will work. This is a good compromise allowing private insurers to conduct business, while securing access to health insurance for more Americans. If anything, the increased transparency will reduce insurance costs.
- Do you think the Death with Dignity Act in Oregon could be a model for broader federal legislation on the issue?That's ridiculous. Of course not.
- Are you satisfied with the provisions within the 2012 Federal Highway Bill that could salvage over two million jobs in the construction industry?Maybe we had our disagreements over the exact size and nature of this spending, but nobody seriously thinks that we should stop funding our highways.
- How much attack advertising will your campaign use?If our opponent does that kind of thing, then we will certainly follow suit.
- Without divulging a preference for any particular religious group, do you believe that America was founded as a Christian nation?This is an arcane debate. The First Amendment guarantees religious freedom in the U.S., and the personal beliefs of the founders are not a relevant policy issue.
- Federal funding for Community Health Centers has more than doubled in the past ten years to over $2 billion annually. Is this an example of out of control government spending?This is a worthy program and I have no problem with the amount of money that is allocated to it.
- What do you think the next steps should be in regards to Medicare?Medicare is a good program. We need to find some way of controlling costs and of more effectively managing care, but the overall program is sound.
- You have expressed support for increasing taxes on the rich to address our budget shortfall. However, almost half of Americans currently pay no income taxes. Are you sure this is a good idea?You're repeating a right-wing talking point. Most lower-earners still pay Social Security taxes, which alone is enough to ensure that their proportional rate of taxation remains fairly high.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Democratic Convention?I will talk about the myriad methods that the Republicans use to divide our country. I will remind everyone that Democrats are truly the party of the common person -- regardless of background or income level.
- Over half of all sexual harassment complaints filed in 2011 were dismissed -- an increase from previous years. Do you think enough is being done to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace?I'm very concerned about this issue. I would like to see our funding level increase for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, so that adequate resources are in place to pursue these claims.
- Joe Biden made what can only be described as a gaffe on the campaign trail today. What are your comments?What can you say? We've all been out here for weeks with very little sleep. No one knows more about foreign policy than Joe Biden, so I'm sure it was just a slip of the tongue.
- What is your guiding foreign policy philosophy?Pragmatism -- Our foreign policy right now is effective. We need to guide foreign nations towards democracy and open markets. Doing so will increase the world's prosperity and decrease the chance of future wars.
- In the most general terms, what will be your overall campaign strategy against Romney?Behind the scenes my surrogates have plenty of dirt to spread about Romney and the Republicans. As President, I will stick to a message of optimism and hope in my own campaign speeches.