Campaign Trail Results: Game #808916
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Mitt Romney
- Running Mate: Tim Pawlenty
- Difficulty Level: Normal
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Barack Obama | 290 | 64,384,211 | 50.13 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 248 | 62,810,678 | 48.90 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 935,863 | 0.73 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 316,367 | 0.25 |
Visits:
- Pennsylvania:5
- Ohio:3
- Florida:2
- Virginia:2
Answers:
- 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 federal government has forced Arizona's hand by being too lax on enforcement for far too long.
- The water level of Lake Mead (the reservoir near Hoover Dam) has been steadily dropping in recent years. Should the Bureau of Reclamation regulate the use of this water more strictly?Yes. People will continue to move into the region and place an unsustainable burden on the water supply unless the price accurately reflects current and future scarcity.
- 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 United States have been so quick to drop its support for Hosni Mubarak in 2011, given recent events in Egypt?We have allowed one of the last moderate regimes in the Middle East to be replaced by Muslim fundamentalists. This is an unconscionable betrayal of our ally Israel and will harm American security.
- Would you support posting active U.S. Army troops on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration and drug smuggling?I support a wall and I support the presence of American troops. The purpose of the military is to defend our borders.
- There is currently a large amount of drug violence in Mexico near the U.S. border. What would you do as President to help stabilize this situation?I hate to keep coming back to this, but we need a wall at the border and we need to greatly step up our enforcement efforts. Longer prison sentences and a stronger DEA will reduce drug trafficking.
- What is your position on gay marriage?I think civil unions are an acceptable compromise for the majority of mainstream Americans.
- Should military women serve in combat roles?What we have now is a good compromise. I don't see any need to change current military policy.
- Do you support allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire for high-income households at the end of 2012?We should keep the tax cuts as is for the foreseeable future. I don't think it's sound economics to rise taxes on this group.
- What is your opinion on the 'gunwalking' tactics that led to the 'Fast and Furious' scandal?Perhaps in limited cases. I am skeptical of these programs because they place too much faith in Mexican authorities to pursue cases once they cross the border.
- 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?This is the wrong way to reform the American health care system. We should be focusing on malpractice reform and on cutting red tape for private insurers.
- Do you see any need for a United States Institute of Peace?Can you name a single thing this agency has done? This just another example of how federal money is wasted on arcane projects in a time of fiscal crisis.
- 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 American workers have the right to invest their Social Security withholdings in private accounts?If practical I would support a program that allows younger workers to invest a certain portion of their Social Security taxes into a different program.
- What is your opinion on the Occupy Wall Street movement?I don't approve of these tactics. These protestors need to grow up and work within the system.
- Will you wear an American flag lapel on your suit as you campaign?It baffles me how someone could be ashamed to display the American flag. It seems a little unpatriotic to me.
- Without divulging a preference for any particular religious group, do you believe that America was founded as a Christian nation?All of our founders with only a couple exceptions were deeply Christian individuals, and they frequently referenced the hand of providence in their political writings.
- The most recent poll showed you slipping by a couple of percentage points. Are you planning on making any changes in your campaign to address this?We don't pay attention to things like polls and focus groups. We just go out every day and present our message to the American people. Everything else will take care of itself.
- 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?This is a terrible idea. Can't you just picture twenty million employees performing make-work jobs at miniscule wages?
- The rhetoric from some Republicans towards immigrants from Mexico has been quite harsh. Can you distance yourself from such comments?I think in isolated cases a few people have said things that aren't appropriate. Overall however, it's important for us to maintain the proper level of vigilance on the immigration issue.
- How does your insurance plan in Massachusetts differ from Obamacare?My plan was a good plan for Massachusetts. Obamacare is bad because it forces an individual mandate on the American public.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Republican Convention?I will emphasize the point that the Republican Party has a big tent. We are the party for anyone who tries to work hard and get ahead in America.
- 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.
- To what extent will you speak about your religious faith (Mormonism) on the campaign trail?I already made one speech that was entirely devoted to this issue back in 2008. Bringing it up more often runs the risk of distracting the American people from the most important issues of this campaign.
- In the most general terms, what will be your overall campaign strategy against Obama?My surrogates have plenty of points to make about the failure of the Obama Administration. As the nominee, I will take the high road and stick to a message of optimism and American renewal.