Campaign Trail Results: Game #755230
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1960
- Player Candidate: John F. Kennedy
- Running Mate: Stuart Symington
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
nextkk1234
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- John F. Kennedy | 337 | 33,827,044 | 50.35 |
| ---- Richard Nixon | 181 | 32,562,843 | 48.47 |
| ---- Harry Byrd | 19 | 790,656 | 1.18 |
Visits:
- Florida:12
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 take this opportunity to make a major speech on the topic. I will address this issue exclusively in a televised speech, and put it to rest for good.
- 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?I support the civil rights movement, but I'm a little concerned about the disregard for the law that some of these activists have shown.
- Richard Nixon has made "experience" the centerpiece of his campaign. What do you have to say on this point?Richard Nixon and I entered Congress in the same year, 1947, and have both served in the highest levels of government for some time.
- 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 is a good starting point, but I would much prefer a program of national health insurance for all Americans -- not just the elderly.
- Do you believe that the islands of Quemoy and Matsu should fall within the United States defense perimeter in Asia?It wouldn't be responsible of me to comment at this point. As President I will consult with our military leaders to determine what is appropriate.
- 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?We have a missile gap, and an overly tight monetary policy that is constraining our growth. I'm very concerned that these shortfalls will allow the Soviet Union to gain an advantage if they are not addressed.
- 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?I think these programs need to be phased out over time, but in such a way that we don't bring sudden instability to our nation's farm policy.
- 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?We need to minimize the federal funding of education, even in block grants. It could easily open the door to federal control of our schools.
- 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 public comment criticizing this arrest, and expressing our hopes that this situation doesn't escalate any further.
- 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.
- Do you support a minimum wage of $1.25 per hour, with some exceptions for small business? Such a measure was recently defeated in Congress.I support this measure, and believe it would be greatly beneficial to millions of American workers.
- How serious, at the current time, do you believe the internal Communist threat is?The last thing we need is a return to excesses and witch-hunts of the early 1950s. We need to keep ourselves focused on the external Communist threat.
- 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?What we've unfortunately seen in Cuba is the consequence of insufficient support for anti-Communist governments and movements. We need to be much more aggressive in our actions against the Castro government.
- Should the United States apologize to the Soviet Union for the controversy surrounding the downed U-2 spy plane and surrounding espionage?Absolutely not. We cannot show weakness in the face of the Soviet threat, and the Paris Summit collapsed from the intransigence of Nikita Khrushchev.
- 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 to strengthen our labor unions and protections for the nation's industry, including trade protections if necessary.
- What is your position on the power of labor unions in the United States?I support unions and I oppose the excesses of leaders such as Jimmy Hoffa. Unions, cleansed of their corrupt elements, should play a central role in the American economy.
- Do you believe that current levels of defense spending are adequate?I believe that we need more vigilance in the area of defense, for both military equipment and for missile development. We currently have a missile gap with the Soviet Union.
- Where will you spend your final day before the election?We will focus on Texas and the South.