Campaign Trail Results: Game #1551161
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Barack Obama
- Running Mate: Joe Biden
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Barack Obama | 347 | 68,412,200 | 52.82 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 191 | 59,988,957 | 46.32 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 816,428 | 0.63 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 292,555 | 0.23 |
Visits:
- Florida:5
- North Carolina:4
- Ohio:2
- Pennsylvania:1
Answers:
- What is your opinion on the detention center at Guantanamo Bay? Would you consider closing it after the election?The center at Guantanamo should definitely be closed. The only thing preventing it so far is obstructionism from the Republican Congress. Furthermore, there is no evidence that half of these detainees are even terrorists.
- Do you believe the federal government is doing enough to enforce laws against employing illegal immigrants?The flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. has slowed in recent years. We should be focusing more on expanding legal opportunities and bringing immigrants out of the shadows.
- 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?This is an unconscionable violation of civil rights and will certainly lead to racial profiling.
- 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.
- Should the federal government continue to finance newer companies that attempt to develop alternative energy resources, such as solar power and electric car manufacturers?Every day that we don't invest in solar power is a day that we fall further behind countries like China and Germany. Investment should be increased.
- 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.
- Do you support a larger fence or even a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration?The border fence should become a border wall, with more depth to its patrols. It is simply too easy for migrants to sneak across the border right now.
- What is your position on gay marriage?I'm opposed this personally. I think that, you know, different states have different opinions on this matter and it's best left to them to decide on the issue.
- Is the United States too reliant on fossil fuels for its energy needs?The answer is obvious. By continuing to rely on non-renewable energy sources, we place ourselves at greater risk for future energy shocks and we contribute to global warming.
- Do you support allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire for high-income households at the end of 2012?I support letting the cuts expire. It's time that wealthy Americans paid their fair share for the opportunities our society gives to them.
- Do you support continued subsidies for the production of ethanol fuel?Ethanol has the potential to radically change our energy equation, and to provide a clean source of renewables. We should continue these subsidies.
- 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.
- Is it time for the federal government to cut spending, even with the economy growing at less than 2% annually?It is not a good idea to cut the size of the government in the midst of a recession. Shrinking payrolls at the state level have served to drag down our most recent recovery.
- 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?This is the wrong way to go about balancing the budget. I oppose these cuts.
- How do you feel about capitalism and the free market?I am a firm proponent of the free market. We simply need effective regulation to make sure that the economy works as best as it possibly can.
- Should large banks like Chase, Citibank, and Bank of America be broken up to reduce the risk of another financial crisis?We have passed the Dodd-Frank Act to analyze systemic risks to the financial system.
- Without divulging a preference for any particular religious group, do you believe that America was founded as a Christian nation?Thomas Jefferson himself rebuked this notion in his writings. Now over two hundred years later, religious fanatics are trying to bring this idea back. This is part of a dangerous, long-term agenda to turn the U.S. into a sectarian state.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 talk at great length about how we've drifted from the tradition of liberalism that was built by the likes of Roosevelt, Johnson, and Humphrey. I will reaffirm my commitment to this vision in my second term.
- Do you think Hillary Clinton would make a good Presidential candidate in 2016?It's way too early to speculate on the 2016 election. We need to keep our attention on the here and now.
- The 2012 Federal Highway Bill that you signed bars the use of federal funds for red-light traffic cameras. Do you agree with this provision?Of course I agree with this. I am a little uncomfortable with using federal funds for those types of cameras.
- What is your guiding foreign policy philosophy?American Exceptionalism -- Providence has given America to the world as an inspiration, and we must vigorously defend the ideals of peace and freedom wherever they may be threatened.
- 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.