Campaign Trail Results: Game #44830
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Barack Obama
- Running Mate: Joe Biden
- Difficulty Level: Normal
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Mitt Romney | 286 | 64,007,558 | 49.74 |
| ---- Barack Obama | 252 | 63,405,911 | 49.27 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 899,838 | 0.70 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 366,724 | 0.28 |
Visits:
- Florida:3
- Ohio:3
- North Carolina:2
- Pennsylvania:2
- Virginia:1
- Wisconsin:1
Answers:
- Some involved with the space program have suggested sending astronauts to Mars, or even forming moon colonies. What is your take?Absolutely. We need a return to the days when America dreamed big, and when children were inspired to reach for the stars.
- 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?The proper authority for enforcement rests with the federal government. This law goes further than federal laws and even if constitutional, should be repealed.
- 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 The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.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.
- What do you think we should do next in regards to Social Security?Talking about a bankrupt Social Security program is a right wing scare tactic. We could afford to increase benefits if we really wanted to.
- What is your opinion on directing some Department of Education funding towards a school voucher program?In limited cases, such as those currently in place, there is a role for vouchers. But improving public education should be our primary focus.
- Michigan was one of the hardest hit states in the recent recession. Do you support higher taxes on foreign vehicles while that auto industry regroups in that state?Most foreign companies also build their cars in the United States and employ thousands of Americans. This policy would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
- Would it help our economy if government employment was increased? Or would this divert valuable resources from the private sector?Government employment should be increased during recessions to mitigate the effects of a drop in private sector output.
- 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?There should be a public insurance company offering health care to all Americans. Private insurers are simply too greedy and too likely to turn down people with pre-existing health conditions.
- 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.
- Should taxpayers be forced to subsidize Planned Parenthood via federal subsidies?Planned Parenthood is an essential component of our public health system. The right of women to control their bodies and their reproductive destinies is inviolable.
- 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?This is a corrupt, ludicrous practice which Congress uses to hide the true size of our budget and Social Security deficits.
- Should American workers have the right to invest their Social Security withholdings in private accounts?No sensible investor would put a dime into the Social Security program if they weren't forced to by law. It is unfair to ask America's workers to put money into a program that has no promise of ever providing them with benefits.
- Are you satisfied with the provisions within the 2012 Federal Highway Bill that could salvage over two million jobs in the construction industry?Maybe we had our disagreements over the exact size and nature of this spending, but nobody seriously thinks that we should stop funding our highways.
- 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?Too big to fail is too big to exist. It's pathetic just how much our representatives have allowed themselves to be bought by financial institutions.
- 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 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.
- Is there too much regulation of the American logging industry?Current practices are much too permissive. Priceless old-growth forest has been almost completely destroyed, and we are headed into the future on an unsustainable trajectory.
- Mitt Romney was the CEO of Bain Capital for many years. What can you say about his time at that firm?I think this just serves to reinforce how detached and out of touch Romney is from the average working American. This is a man who spends more money maintaining a horse than most people earn in an entire year.
- You have expressed support for increasing taxes on the rich to address our budget shortfall. However, almost half of Americans currently pay no income taxes. Are you sure this is a good idea?You're repeating a right-wing talking point. Most lower-earners still pay Social Security taxes, which alone is enough to ensure that their proportional rate of taxation remains fairly high.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Democratic Convention?I will give an honest speech about the challenges I was facing in 2009, what I did to address them, what I tried to do that was blocked by Republican obstructionism, and what jobs policies I will continue to push for in my second term.
- 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?I will promise a fresh start in overcoming the gridlock in Washington. In my second term I will reach out to moderates and sensible Republicans to find common, pragmatic solutions to our most pressing issues.
- 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.