Campaign Trail Results: Game #23371
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Mitt Romney
- Running Mate: Tim Pawlenty
- 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 | 531 | 77,967,056 | 59.91 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 7 | 50,617,044 | 38.89 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 1,197,411 | 0.92 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 359,816 | 0.28 |
Visits:
- Texas:3
- Arizona:1
- Florida:1
- Michigan:1
- New York:1
- North Carolina:1
- Pennsylvania:1
- South Carolina:1
- Tennessee:1
- West Virginia:1
Answers:
- Some involved with the space program have suggested sending astronauts to Mars, or even forming moon colonies. What is your take?I think that's a horrible idea. It sounds like we would squander a lot of money that could be used for education and health care.
- 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.
- In November 2011, Ohio voters rejected a law to limit collective bargaining power for public unions. Do public sector unions such as teachers' and police unions have too much bargaining power?I support the hardworking teachers and firefighters of Ohio and elsewhere.
- 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 support a bailout of the European Union if necessary. Waiting until this debt contagion causes a double-dip recession in the U.S. is not an option.
- 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 The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.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?I support letting the cuts expire. It's time that wealthy Americans paid their fair share for the opportunities our society gives to them.
- We have now had 10 years to analyze the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act. Do you think it is time for a change?This idea was a failure from day one. Federal education funds are needed the most in low-income districts which have disproportionately suffered from this legislation.
- What is your opinion on the 'gunwalking' tactics that led to the 'Fast and Furious' scandal?It makes sense to track gun sales over a period of time, to get a better picture of who is buying them, and to try and arrest more important cartel leaders.
- 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?This entire thing wouldn't even be an issue if marijuana were decriminalized as it should be. The DEA should never be prosecuting non-violent, licensed growers of medicinal marijuana.
- The maximum duration of unemployment insurance, with all extensions factored in, has been reduced from 99 weeks. Do you think this is appropriate in the current economic climate?There shouldn't be limits on the duration of unemployment insurance. This program is the only thing supporting many displaced workers, and the economic benefits of unemployment insurance are also beyond dispute.
- Would you consider a default on some U.S. debt obligations if the financial situation of the country continues to deteriorate?We need to consider all options. A controlled debt writedown just might be the best way to reignite the world economy, which is suffering from an abundance of bad debt at the current moment.
- 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.
- 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.
- Will you wear an American flag lapel on your suit as you campaign?Didn't Nixon invent this tactic as a cheap political ploy in the 1960s? This is far from the best way for someone to display their patriotism.
- How much attack advertising will your campaign use?A substantial amount. We cannot afford to let ourselves get rolled over by false and misleading claims from our opponent.
- Who are the real job creators in this country -- hardworking American citizens or Washington bureaucrats?Are you expecting me to even answer such a loaded question?
- 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?If we created jobs like this at a set minimum wage, it would benefit everyone. Private sector wages would increase and economic insecurity would be greatly mitigated for millions of people.
- Tell us how you feel about the Keystone Pipeline.It's shameful that we're even having a debate on this. It just goes to show how much influence oil companies have at the highest levels of government.
- After episodes such as the 'flash crash' in 2010, would you support a small financial transactions tax, with the sole purpose being to target high-frequency trading systems?I'm confident that the Financial Stability Oversight Council, created by the Dodd-Frank bill, will be effective in preventing excessive risk in the financial sector.
- During your tenure, Bain Capital laid off thousands of workers at various companies that it purchased. Are you proud of your work at that company?Joseph Schumpeter coined the term of "creative destruction". Society will never evolve if some people aren't relocated into more productive pursuits from time to time.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Republican Convention?My message will be a message of hope. After four years of economic blight the American people need to feel good about themselves, and they need to know that their efforts will be rewarded with material prosperity.
- What is your guiding foreign policy philosophy?Non-Intervention -- Most of our foreign troop deployments are relics of the Cold War. We need to stop occupying other nations and focus on fixing our problems here at home.
- In the most general terms, what will be your overall campaign strategy against Obama?We will attack Barack Obama relentlessly. He has gone back on his pledge to clean up our political system, he has destroyed hundreds of thousands of jobs in his first term, his values are out of touch with those of most Americans, and his health care reform is disastrous.
