Campaign Trail Results: Game #847862
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Mitt Romney
- Running Mate: Marco Rubio
- Difficulty Level: Impossible
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Barack Obama | 347 | 66,647,972 | 52.09 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 191 | 60,046,976 | 46.93 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 927,898 | 0.73 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 328,491 | 0.26 |
Visits:
- Ohio:3
- Virginia:3
- Pennsylvania:2
- Colorado:1
- Florida:1
- Georgia:1
- Michigan: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?This is an unconscionable violation of civil rights and will certainly lead to racial profiling.
- Should the United States have been so quick to drop its support for Hosni Mubarak in 2011, given recent events in Egypt?That's a great question. It's hard to speculate on what might have been, but it at time it seemed clear that Mubarak had to go.
- How do you view the practice of hydraulic fracturing (aka 'fracking') in the Dakotas and elsewhere?This is a generational shift in the world energy game in the favor of the United States. There are plenty of regulations in place to protect our drinking water, and we simply cannot afford to miss out on the benefits of shale oil.
- 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?There should be better treatment options for drug users to help them overcome addiction, and to reduce the market for cocaine and other controlled substances.
- What is your position on gay marriage?I think civil unions are an acceptable compromise for the majority of mainstream Americans.
- Do you support allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire for high-income households at the end of 2012?Perhaps we can consider letting these expire at some point in the future, but for now we are mired in a stagnant economy and need to avoid tax increases.
- Overall, are you satisfied with the trade relationship between the U.S. and China?I'm not very satisfied at all. Off the record, however, we cannot change much without risking a Chinese flight from our Treasuries and a possible trade war.
- Will you launch an air campaign against Iranian nuclear sites if diplomatic negotiations continue to yield minimal results?Of course I will always act in the best interests of the United States. We are keeping all options on the table, but it's irresponsible at this point to go into further details.
- Does it still make sense to provide military aid to Pakistan's government?I will undertake a full review of all military aid with a distinguished panel as soon as the election is over.
- 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 program will be a disaster. Not only is it an unconstitutional violation of personal freedom, but it will lead to a decline in American health care and will prove to be financially impossible to maintain without socializing the health care system.
- Should taxpayers be forced to subsidize Planned Parenthood via federal subsidies?I will leave current policy and funding as is. This is a settled issue.
- 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.
- Are you satisfied with the provisions within the 2012 Federal Highway Bill that could salvage over two million jobs in the construction industry?We should monitor these expenditures very closely to make sure that they are being allocated properly. There is always the chance of cronyism and misappropriation when there is spending of this magnitude.
- 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.
- Federal funding for Community Health Centers has more than doubled in the past ten years to over $2 billion annually. Is this an example of out of control government spending?There are too many mismanaged, ineffective programs like this one to even count. Someone needs to put their foot down on this issue.
- 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.
- 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?
- What is the best way to make college more affordable for young people?Get the government out of higher education. Federal guarantees for student loans plus exorbitant funding for student grants combine to guarantee massive inflation in this area.
- 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 opposed to this idea. The last thing we need to right now is create new forms of taxation.
- Can you clear up any confusion with the Republican base about your beliefs on global warming?I would be glad to. Even if the earth is getting warmer, it's impossible to say that human activity is the main driver. We've had these fluctuations over and over again during the geological history of our planet.
- 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?Human Rights -- It's past time that we cut allegiances with dictators like the House of Saud and truly lived up to our ideals. I will only support or give aid to democratically elected leaders.
- 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.