Campaign Trail Results: Game #1535077

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This Game:

  • Year: 1960
  • Player Candidate: John F. Kennedy
  • Running Mate: Stuart Symington
  • Difficulty Level: Normal
  • Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
  • Game Played:
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View overall results, or a specific state:
CandidateElectoral VotesPopular VotesPop. Vote %
---- Richard Nixon41434,531,90852.10
---- John F. Kennedy10430,732,24246.36
---- Harry Byrd191,019,4131.54

Visits:

  • New York:6
  • California:1
  • Illinois:1
  • North Carolina:1
  • Pennsylvania:1
  • South Dakota:1
  • Texas:1

Answers:

  • What kind of tone will you attempt to set in your campaign this fall?
    I will campaign as a mainstream liberal Democrat, emphasizing key parts of our platform and pressing the case for more vigilance in our national defense.
  • What do you have to say about the selection of Stuart Symington as your running mate?
    Stuart Symington is a close friend of mine and a tireless advocate for liberalism in the United States. I look forward to working with him for the next four years.
  • There has been a proposal for a series of television debates between you and Kennedy. Is this something you are interested in?
    I would love to go against Nixon in a televised debate. We could use the exposure and I'm confident that I would win.
  • Anti-Catholicism has been a huge issue thus far in the campaign, with hundreds of pamphlets and leaflets being distributed across the South and Midwest. Do you have any comment?
    Let's gather some of these leaflets and show them to the media and to major newspapers. I think they demonstrate the lengths that some people will go to discredit my candidacy.
  • Anti-Catholicism continues to be an issue. Major newspapers have published a statement by 150 Protestant clergy, including Norman Vincent Peale, opposing any Catholic as President. Do you have any comment?
    Let's put a couple of statements into my next campaign speech to address this issue, and reassure the public that I take no orders from the Pope.
  • There have been a large number of sit-ins recently, where black students and activists are sitting at whites-only lunch counters and department stores to advocate for desegregation. Do you support this movement?
    This movement has my full support, as do the other civil rights measures of our day. I will push for a Civil Rights Act as President.
  • Richard Nixon has made "experience" the centerpiece of his campaign. What do you have to say on this point?
    I will bring new, dynamic leadership to this country as President. I don't see how this line of argument puts me at any disadvantage.
  • There was a recent effort in Congress to pass a program to provide medical care to elderly Americans, but it was narrowly defeated. Will you make a further push for this type of program as President?
    This program would represent a massive new financial commitment for the federal government, when care of the elderly properly rests with the affected family.
  • Currently the highest income tax bracket pays a rate of 91%. Will you work harder to cut tax rates as President?
    I would be open to this, depending on how the economy goes in the next year or two.
  • Is the United States adequately prepared to defend against the Soviet threat today?
    Cuba has been lost to the Soviet Union, providing a potential base for Communist aggression on the very doorstep of our nation. I am very unsatisfied with the current situation.
  • Do you believe the United States is adequately prepared to defend against the Soviet threat over the next ten years?
    I am as satisfied as I can be. With sound defense policies and strong economic growth, we should continue to maintain our advantage over the Soviet Union.
  • During the Great Depression, the federal government began a policy of farm subsidies to stabilize farm incomes and to target a specific output of each crop. Are these policies still necessary in 1960?
    They are absolutely necessary. Farmers are not in a good position to bargain for their crops, and any economic weakness in that sector can easily cause a recession in the broader economy.
  • What is your opinion on the current level of education funding in the United States? Would you increase federal education funding, even if it meant higher taxes or a larger budget deficit?
    Education is a key front in our battle with Communism, and that includes adequate pay and respect for our nation's teachers. I would support additional federal spending on this.
  • Would you support the passage of a federal civil rights bill as President to address the worst excesses of segregation in the South?
    I am supportive of a civil rights bill and will work with Congress to get one written and passed.
  • Recently, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested at a sit-in in Atlanta, and has now been sentenced to four months in prison for failing to get a Georgia driver's license after moving to that state. Do you have any comment or action you would like to take?
    Let's make a call to Mrs. King to offer our condolences, and let's demand the release of Mr. King.
  • Are you satisfied with the economy and the economic policies of this country over the past eight years?
    We must do better. Our present Administration has advocated a hard money policy which caused the recession of 1958 and left idle industrial capacity in our country.
  • How serious, at the current time, do you believe the internal Communist threat is?
    It's unfortunate that we've become less vigilant on the internal Communist threat in recent years. Espionage and infiltration of our government is as serious a threat as external Soviet action.
  • Do you believe that Cuba has been lost to the Communists as of this time? If so, do you think it is partially the fault of the United States?
    We've seen some alarming things out of Cuba, but this isn't necessarily a lost cause. Cuba has not declared itself a Communist state and we should be making overtures to prevent that.
  • Should the United States apologize to the Soviet Union for the controversy surrounding the downed U-2 spy plane and surrounding espionage?
    We lost a lot of ground diplomatically after this event, and much of that could have been avoided had we issued a formal apology.
  • Did Dwight Eisenhower do the right thing when he sent federal troops to Little Rock to ensure the integration of the high school there?
    We should have found a better way to resolve this issue, rather than intrude into the sovereignty of an American state.
  • What would you do as President to combat increasing unemployment in America's industrial cities?
    We need more spending and should consider lower taxes to stimulate American economy and industry.
  • Has the United States adequately defended against the Communist threat in Indochina? Would you support further action there if necessary?
    I believe we need to defend South Vietnam at all costs, whatever commitment of our forces that entails.
  • What is your position on the power of labor unions in the United States?
    We should be vigilant against labor union excesses, and the Taft-Hartley Act was a good start. I believe that we should keep that law in place.
  • Do you believe that current levels of defense spending are adequate?
    We can always find areas for improvement, but we have successfully defended the United States and our allies from numerous Communist threats over the past eight years.
  • Where will you spend your final day before the election?
    We will campaign up and down New York and the Eastern Seaboard.
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