Campaign Trail Results: Game #1292153
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1976
- Player Candidate: Gerald Ford
- Running Mate: John Anderson
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Gerald Ford | 407 | 41,019,555 | 50.43 |
| ---- Jimmy Carter | 131 | 38,729,060 | 47.61 |
| ---- Other Candidates | 0 | 850,825 | 1.05 |
| ---- Eugene McCarthy | 0 | 744,529 | 0.92 |
Visits:
- Kansas:3
- Missouri:3
- Kentucky:2
- Texas:2
- Illinois:1
- Oklahoma:1
Answers:
- What will your overall campaign strategy be this year?I'm an approachable, open guy with an open Administration. Let's emphasize my mainstream values and positions, and avoid extremist rhetoric or attacks on Jimmy Carter.
- A lot of voters are concerned about honesty and integrity in our government. What can you say about yourself in this aspect, particularly in light of your pardon of Richard Nixon?I will let the cameras into the White House so the people can see for themselves. I'm a normal, approachable, friendly President. I didn't spend my whole life trying to run for the office.
- Your Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz, will be quoted in next week's Rolling Stone as making some very crude and racist jokes. Some have suggested you fire him before the article is released. What are your thoughts?Let's have him leave the day that the article comes out. That way the connection is clear.
- There is talk of a Presidential Debate for the first time since 1960. Is this something that you're interested in doing?I think this is a good idea, and we need something to shake this campaign up.
- Betty Ford is out there making some pretty bold statements about sexuality, marijuana, and other topics. Conservatives want to know if you can have a quiet chat with her to tone it down a bit.What do you want me to say? She's my wife. Can't people find something better to worry about?
- You have vetoed a significant number of bills in your two years as President. What was your reasoning?The Democrats, with their huge majorities, have passed bill after bill outside of the American mainstream. I've been left with little choice.
- Some of your operatives want to attack Carter for the way he has equivocated on abortion, gun control, busing, labor issues, and so on. Will you approve a series of ads labeling him as a "flip-flopper"? Maybe some limited spots, asking if we really know who Jimmy Carter is. Or attacking him on one of these issues. But let's not go overboard.
- Your campaign has just received a big break in the form of a controversial interview that Carter did with Playboy, where he confessed to "committing adultery in his heart" and used some coarse language. Any thoughts?This is great. We need any good news we can get at this point.
- You have selected John Anderson as your running mate. Can you speak a little more about that?John Anderson always speaks his mind and fights for what he believes in. These are the kind of people we need in my next Administration.
- Ronald Reagan and some of his allies can't hide their disappointment in your running mate, and some of them are even saying Carter is better than a Ford-Anderson Administration. Do you have any comment?John Anderson is a lifelong Republican and he has the right views on all the important issues for our country. We need a guy like him if we hope to win the independent voters away from Jimmy Carter.
- What is your position on the federal government making loans to states or cities in need of financial help? An obvious recent example is the $2.3 billion bailout of New York city.We have to consider each case individually. New York was a one time thing, and they also had to make significant reforms before this loan was approved.
- What is your position on a pardon of Vietnam War draft evaders?Of course this war was controversial, but I oppose any pardon for people who evaded their military service. This would not send the right message in a future crisis.
- Do you support the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which states "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."?I support the passage of this Amendment, and think it is a good thing for America.
- What is your opinion on the court-ordered busing of students within school districts, in a way designed to achieve racial balance in our schools?I believe that ways can be found to minimize forced busing while also remaining true to the Nation's ideals and our educational goals.
- Do you believe that the United States can afford a reduction in defense spending?I don't support cuts, to be sure, but neither do we need increases. We have made great strides in reducing tension with the Soviet Union.
- What is your opinion on abortion, and specifically the recent Roe v. Wade decision?I'm personally opposed to abortion, but I respect this decision and will not try to overturn it.
- How can we best prevent another episode like the 1973 oil crisis, which paralyzed the country?We need to do anything we can, including reducing our consumption, working for peace deals, producing domestically, and stabilizing our relationships with oil-producing allies.
- Do you have a position on the gun control issue?I'd like to see more widespread licensing and registration of handguns and rifles, but it has been repeatedly defeated in the past.
- Do you think that the Panama Canal should be turned back over to Panama?This is an issue I would have to consider more closely over the next couple of years. Let's see how the current negotiations go.
- Should there be a ban on nuclear weapons testing?This is an issue I'd have to consider carefully, but perhaps if we got the Soviet Union on board I'd be open to it.
- In 1972, George McGovern proposed replacing the income tax exemption with a $1,000 guaranteed minimum income, for every American citizen. Are you interested in this type of proposal?I think the current forms of tax exemptions and aid we have are sufficient. This would be another huge, costly, and complicated program to administer when we are trying to reduce our deficit.
- Could we have done more to save South Vietnam in 1975, such as air strikes or a limited engagement?We were trying to provide more aid to South Vietnam, but Congress would not approve additional expenditures. The results of that policy are clear.
- Do you support the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act?I'm all for some programs to provide jobs, but this Act has too many mandates and goals that are inconsistent with each other. We can't have a balanced budget, full employment, and low inflation at the same time.
- Would you support a law for universal health care in this country?I think it is a noble goal, but it would add too much of a financial burden to the federal budget, which is already running a deficit.
- Where will you focus your efforts on the last day before the election?We will focus on the Southwest, starting in New Mexico and Oklahoma, and finishing in Texas.