Campaign Trail Results: Game #847915
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1960
- Player Candidate: John F. Kennedy
- Running Mate: Lyndon Johnson
- Difficulty Level: Normal
- Winner Take All Mode?: No
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Richard Nixon | 295 | 34,790,807 | 52.38 |
| ---- John F. Kennedy | 230 | 31,234,259 | 47.03 |
| ---- Harry Byrd | 12 | 388,880 | 0.59 |
Visits:
- New York:4
- North Carolina:2
- Pennsylvania:2
- California:1
- Connecticut:1
- Minnesota:1
- South Carolina:1
Answers:
- What kind of tone will you attempt to set in your campaign this fall?It is important to keep the Democratic Party moving into the future. We need to act on civil rights, education, and health care over the coming term.
- What do you have to say about the selection of Lyndon Johnson as your running mate?Lyndon Johnson is a loyal Southerner and Senator from Texas who will spare no effort to advance a Democratic agenda.
- Lady Bird Johnson, LBJ's wife, has been spat on by a gathering of far-right protestors in a Dallas hotel lobby. What are your thoughts?I have no real comment to make, but I'm sure that the voters in Texas will be incensed at the incivility of this episode.
- 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 put a couple of statements into my next campaign speech to address this issue, and reassure the public that I take no orders from the Pope.
- 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?This movement has my full support, as do the other civil rights measures of our day. I will push for a Civil Rights Act as President.
- Richard Nixon has made "experience" the centerpiece of his campaign. What do you have to say on this point?I question this premise, to be frank. It's still not clear to me exactly what role Nixon had in the Eisenhower Administration, or what policies of his have been implemented.
- 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?I'm not sure it's practical or desirable from a military standpoint to defend two tiny islands that are much closer to the Chinese mainland than they are to Formosa.
- 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?They are absolutely necessary. Farmers are not in a good position to bargain for their crops, and any economic weakness in that sector can easily cause a recession in the broader economy.
- 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?Education is a key front in our battle with Communism, and that includes adequate pay and respect for our nation's teachers. I would support additional federal spending on this.
- Would you support the passage of a federal civil rights bill as President to address the worst excesses of segregation in the South?We need to do anything we can to move our nation forward on this issue, including a civil rights bill and measures to protect voting rights.
- 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 are on the right track economically. We can't deny that there was a recession in 1958, but the recovery has been strong and 1960 will see a very high rate of growth in this country.
- 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?We will defend our base at Guantanamo and do anything else that is necessary if Cuba continues its hostility. However, it is too early to make a conclusive determination at this point.
- Should the United States apologize to the Soviet Union for the controversy surrounding the downed U-2 spy plane and surrounding espionage?We lost a lot of ground diplomatically after this event, and much of that could have been avoided had we issued a formal apology.
- Did Dwight Eisenhower do the right thing when he sent federal troops to Little Rock to ensure the integration of the high school there?He absolutely did, and I would like to see further action to desegregate our schools and enforce our civil rights.
- 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?Labor unions have been needlessly undermined by the Taft-Hartley Act, and by self-serving investigations from both parties. I will do anything I can as President to support our nation's laborers.
- 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 campaign up and down New York and the Eastern Seaboard.