Campaign Trail Results: Game #1216394

This Game:

  • Year: 2012
  • Player Candidate: Barack Obama
  • Running Mate: Hillary Clinton
  • Difficulty Level: Normal
  • Winner Take All Mode?: No
  • Game Played:
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View overall results, or a specific state:
CandidateElectoral VotesPopular VotesPop. Vote %
---- Mitt Romney27362,734,49849.20
---- Barack Obama26563,586,14049.87
---- Gary Johnson0877,7070.69
---- Jill Stein0306,0470.24

Visits:

  • Florida:5
  • Pennsylvania:4
  • Michigan:1
  • Ohio:1
  • Virginia:1

Answers:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • What can the U.S. do to assist pro-democracy protestors in Russia?
    I would encourage Vladimir Putin to continue his efforts to democratize Russia, so that there is less cause for future demonstrations.
  • How long should U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan?
    The U.S. presence should be scaled down to the minimum necessary to prevent a Taliban takeover. Hopefully we can withdraw all of our troops within a couple of 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 The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.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.
  • 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.
  • What is your opinion on the 'gunwalking' tactics that led to the 'Fast and Furious' scandal?
    This is a specialized occupational question that can best be answered by the ATF and the Department of Justice.
  • Should middle school students learn about contraception in health class, or will this simply encourage them to experiment?
    This is a sensible policy that will reduce teen pregnancies and help our children make informed decisions.
  • 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 DEA prosecute medicinal marijuana growers in states where that practice has been legalized?
    We might disagree with these laws, but it is the responsibility of the DEA to uphold them. I do think we can look into reducing the penalties, which should decrease the strain on our prisons and allow people a second chance to lead productive lives.
  • Do you have any comment to make on the performance of Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve?
    No comment as of now. I will deliberate very carefully as to whether Bernanke should be reappointed, but for the moment it's not appropriate for politicans to address the performance of the Federal Reserve.
  • 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.
  • What is your opinion on the Tea Party movement?
    A funny thing happened on January 20, 2009 -- millions of people who supported Bush's deficits suddenly flip-flopped into budget hawks. This group is obviously just a political front for the far right wing of the Republican Party.
  • Would you advocate cutting Peace Corps funding to help address the deficit?
    This is a valuable component of our international presence. We should maintain the funding we have in place, which is miniscule in proportion to our overall budget.
  • Should federal fuel taxes be slightly increased (they have been the same since 1993) to avoid another catastrophe like the Minnesota bridge collapse of 2007?
    I don't see a problem with a small increase. We should be encouraging other forms of transportation, and on top of that our highways are woefully underfunded.
  • What actions do you support to mitigate the effects of climate change?
    We should have more laws and regulations to reduce our total carbon emissions. Sensible next steps include some combination of a cap-and-trade program domestically, as well as international agreements with other nations.
  • Some theorists have suggested that the government create guaranteed jobs at the federal minimum wage, to help support the labor market. Is this something that you would consider?
    There are better ways to help the poor among us.
  • What is the best way to make college more affordable for young people?
    If we had more federal funding for student loans and grants, it would make college more accessible to underprivileged students. I also support increased grants to the states to support their state university systems.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Some on the left thought that you were not very vigorous in your opposition to the anti-union policies of Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin. What do you have to say about this?
    Of course I am opposed to the policies of Scott Walker. The only reason I wasn't in Wisconsin on the day of his recall election was that I needed to campaign in more competitive states to maximize our chances of winning this fall.