Campaign Trail Results: Game #722887
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1976
- Player Candidate: Gerald Ford
- Running Mate: Bob Dole
- Difficulty Level: Normal
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Jimmy Carter | 373 | 41,910,508 | 50.84 |
| ---- Gerald Ford | 165 | 38,792,699 | 47.06 |
| ---- Other Candidates | 0 | 922,977 | 1.12 |
| ---- Eugene McCarthy | 0 | 806,865 | 0.98 |
Visits:
- California:3
- Texas:3
- Alaska:1
- Florida:1
- Illinois:1
- New York:1
- Vermont:1
- Virginia:1
Answers:
- What will your overall campaign strategy be this year?We barely defeated Ronald Reagan to win our nomination in the first place. We should take conservative positions and make sure we shore up our support in that area.
- 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?Honesty and integrity is one thing, but voters want to hear about solutions. I've led our economy back from a steep recession while passing a tax cut for the American people.
- 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.I've tried to explain to her that we have an election coming up, and we don't need all this bad press, but she won't listen.
- You have vetoed a significant number of bills in your two years as President. What was your reasoning?This is an issue that has been blown way out of proportion. In many of these cases, I've proposed my own alternative to a given bill, and Congress has acted on it.
- 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 Bob Dole as your running mate. Can you speak a little more about that?Bob Dole is a staunch conservative who really sets the tone for the direction I want to take.
- Your running mate, Bob Dole, has made a comment that indicates he blames World War II and every other war of this century on Democratic Presidents. What are your thoughts?I am a World War II veteran myself, as are many other Republicans and Democrats. We love Bob Dole, but I think in this case he got a little carried away.
- 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.I couldn't really comment until I saw what the specifics of the case would be.
- What is your position on a pardon of Vietnam War draft evaders?I would need to think about this issue a little more before reaching a final decision.
- 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 oppose this Amendment, as many labor unions do, because it would jeopardize protections for female workers in areas such as working hours or tasks.
- 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?As President I will remain vigilant against the Soviet threat. Under no circumstances would I decrease our defense budget.
- 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.
- Do you think that the tax cuts in early 1975 were the right economic policy for this country?This was a good policy. Our economy has rebounded considerably since early 1975, and millions of new jobs have been created.
- How can we best prevent another episode like the 1973 oil crisis, which paralyzed the country?I'm a big supporter of domestic oil production. One thing we can definitely do is begin to drill in Alaska.
- Do you have a position on the gun control issue?Gun control is ineffective in reducing crime rates. I think a better option would be to examine our sentencing guidelines, and make sure that we put criminals in jail.
- What is your position on right-to-work laws? Would you support a national bill to repeal Taft-Hartley and do away with right-to-work?I go more the other way on this issue. I think that more states should be right-to-work. Unions dangerously distort the economy and the political process.
- The United States started selling large amounts of grain to the Soviet Union, in 1973. What is your opinion on this policy?This policy is a win-win for us. It helps our own farmers prosper, and it is a public relations victory for the world to see the Soviet Union depending on American enterprise.
- 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?Absolutely not. Not only would this ruin the federal budget, but it would also eliminate competition and lead to substandard health care for the vast majority of Americans.
- Where will you focus your efforts on the last day before the election?We will hit the West Coast hard, from Washington, through Oregon, down to California.