Campaign Trail Results: Game #1180944

This Game:

  • Year: 2012
  • Player Candidate: Barack Obama
  • Running Mate: Joe Biden
  • Difficulty Level: Normal
  • Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
  • Game Played:
  • aaronobser
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View overall results, or a specific state:
CandidateElectoral VotesPopular VotesPop. Vote %
---- Barack Obama34767,491,45151.75
---- Mitt Romney19161,679,88047.29
---- Gary Johnson0894,5890.69
---- Jill Stein0361,0230.28

Visits:

  • North Carolina:5
  • Florida:2
  • Ohio:2
  • Colorado:1
  • Nevada:1
  • Virginia: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.
  • Should the government be doing more to stabilize home prices?
    I think we could be doing more to purchase homes from the banks, and perhaps rent them out until the situation improves. This would help support a price recovery.
  • Should the Confederate flag be removed entirely from the South Carolina statehouse grounds?
    I would prefer to see it go, but there's not much I could do to make that happen as President. It's an issue for South Carolinians to decide.
  • 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?
    I don't want to comment on an issue that is best left to the voters of Arizona.
  • Does it make sense to dispose our nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada?
    I think that what we're doing now is fine. There is no point in revisiting this issue, since the Yucca Mountain plans have been scrapped in any case.
  • To what extent should offshore drilling be permitted in the Gulf of Mexico?
    The drilling we have in place now is sufficient. What the fiasco with BP proves is that as we reach further and further down for more marginal sources, we increase the risk of accidents.
  • 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?
    I think civil unions are an acceptable compromise for the majority of mainstream Americans.
  • 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.
  • Michigan was one of the hardest hit states in the recent recession. Do you support higher taxes on foreign vehicles while that auto industry regroups in that state?
    I think that's a little extreme. I do support measures to assist displaced workers in Michigan as they seek other jobs and education.
  • 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.
  • Should the Social Security Trust Fund be purchasing U.S. Treasury bills? Should it be allowed to invest in other bonds and securities to potentially increase its rate of return? Or conversely, should the funds be held in a 'lockbox' to guarantee benefit payments?
    I think anyone who has managed money can tell you there is a place for U.S. Treasuries in any professional portfolio. Allowing the Social Security fund to invest in other securities opens a huge number of potential problems and conflicts of interest.
  • The budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development was cut by nearly $4 billion in 2012. Do you think subsidized housing for the poor is a good place to begin reducing the federal deficit?
    We have to make difficult choices. I don't like this any more than most people, but small cuts are necessary to put us on a fiscally sustainable path.
  • Will you wear an American flag lapel on your suit as you campaign?
    It baffles me how someone could be ashamed to display the American flag. It seems a little unpatriotic to me.
  • The most recent data (for 2010) on Pell Grants indicate that 60% of all college students receive one. In that same year, the program cost $36 billion. What changes, if any, would you recommend to this program?
    Students are the future of this country and they need all the help they can get to make it through college, especially considering how much tuition has been increased over the past few years.
  • Who are the real job creators in this country -- hardworking American citizens or Washington bureaucrats?
    American small business, obviously. I will be their champion as President.
  • Tell us how you feel about the Keystone Pipeline.
    Now isn't the best time to decide this. Perhaps in 2013 we can make a rational decision that is not influenced by politics.
  • Would you consider military action in Syria if the impasse between Bashar Assad and the rebels there continues?
    I will do what is necessary to preserve freedom and human rights in Syria. It's impossible to say whether that means committing the U.S. military or not at this point.
  • Christina Romer -- formerly the Chairperson on your Council of Economic Advisors -- stated in 2009 that unemployment would be less than 6% by 2012 if the stimulus package was enacted. What went wrong, and did the results of the stimulus have any bearing on her resignation?
    First of all, this had no bearing on her decision to leave the Obama Administration. Secondly, the economy was in much worse shape in early 2009 than anyone realized. Since that time we have repeatedly tried to pass additional stimulus measures and have been thwarted by House Republicans at every opportunity.
  • What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Democratic Convention?
    I will give an honest speech about the challenges I was facing in 2009, what I did to address them, what I tried to do that was blocked by Republican obstructionism, and what jobs policies I will continue to push for in my second term.
  • Do FEMA insurance payouts encourage real estate developers to build in disaster prone areas?
    There is absolutely a danger of this happening. That's why we have a National Flood Insurance Program which provides strict guidelines on where people are permitted to build.
  • Be perfectly honest. How do you like Mitt Romney as a person?
    Mitt Romney is a great American success story. His efforts over the years have been admirable. I just don't think he has the best policies in mind for America.
  • 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?
    I will promise a fresh start in overcoming the gridlock in Washington. In my second term I will reach out to moderates and sensible Republicans to find common, pragmatic solutions to our most pressing issues.