Campaign Trail Results: Game #815533
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Barack Obama
- Running Mate: Hillary Clinton
- 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 | 347 | 68,606,425 | 53.33 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 191 | 58,882,850 | 45.77 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 858,566 | 0.67 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 307,325 | 0.24 |
Visits:
- Missouri:6
- Indiana:4
- Florida:1
- Georgia:1
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?I don't want to comment on an issue that is best left to the voters of Arizona.
- Does it make sense to dispose our nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada?Nuclear power has proven itself to be a dangerous policy idea. We should be moving away from nuclear and into more environmentally friendly types of energy.
- What is your position on gay marriage?Under no circumstances should the sacred institution of marriage be undermined. The Defense of Marriage Act was passed specifially to address this issue.
- Is the United States too reliant on fossil fuels for its energy needs?The answer is obvious. By continuing to rely on non-renewable energy sources, we place ourselves at greater risk for future energy shocks and we contribute to global warming.
- 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.
- Overall, are you satisfied with the trade relationship between the U.S. and China?This relationship has its pros and cons. China should be doing more to live up to their end of our trade agreements, and they must stop manipulating their currency.
- 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?I think that's a little extreme. I do support measures to assist displaced workers in Michigan as they seek other jobs and education.
- 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?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.
- 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?That is nearly two years. We need unemployment benefits but these extensions were clearly out of control.
- 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?This is the first step that those who wish to abolish Social Security would like to implement. The integrity of Social Security should be preserved at all times.
- 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.
- Would you advocate cutting Peace Corps funding to help address the deficit?This is a valuable component of our international presence. We should maintain the funding we have in place, which is miniscule in proportion to our overall budget.
- 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.
- 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?There are better ways of funding our federal highway projects than with another increase to the gas tax, especially given how much prices have risen in the past few years.
- 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.
- This morning you went to an elementary school and read books to a class of second-graders. How did you enjoy yourself?I had a fantastic time. Days like today remind me of why we need more federal funding for education.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?Yes I think it's a good idea. Our working class and middle class taxpayers have been crushed by the past few years of subpar economic performance, which was caused of course by the Bush Administration.
- 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.
- Be perfectly honest. How do you like Mitt Romney as a person?Mitt Romney is a great American success story. His efforts over the years have been admirable. I just don't think he has the best policies in mind for America.
- 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?We will attack Mitt Romney relentlessly. He has flip-flopped on key issues and he destroyed thousands of jobs at Bain Capital. He is out of touch with the American people, and he's attacking us for a health care plan that is nearly identical to his own plan in Massachusetts.