Campaign Trail Results: Game #867328

This Game:

  • Year: 1960
  • Player Candidate: John F. Kennedy
  • Running Mate: Lyndon Johnson
  • Difficulty Level: Normal
  • Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
  • Game Played:
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View overall results, or a specific state:
CandidateElectoral VotesPopular VotesPop. Vote %
---- Richard Nixon41434,893,96651.83
---- John F. Kennedy10932,042,33547.60
---- Harry Byrd14384,6920.57

Visits:

  • California:5
  • Texas:2
  • Florida:1
  • Illinois:1
  • New Mexico:1
  • New York:1
  • Pennsylvania:1

Answers:

  • What kind of tone will you attempt to set in your campaign this fall?
    I will deemphasize the political aspect of this campaign, as much as practicable, and emphasize my own personality and leadership ability. Of course I will still make strong statements on the Cold War.
  • 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?
    I will attack the idea that any good Protestant would vote against my candidacy because I happen to be a Catholic.
  • 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?
    I am Catholic and proud of it. I will not respond to bigoted attacks or innuendo, and I trust that these attacks will only help me by driving higher Catholic turnout.
  • 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?
    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?
    I do believe we should defend these islands. We are committed to the defense of Taiwan, and that commitment must include all of Taiwan to be credible.
  • Currently the highest income tax bracket pays a rate of 91%. Will you work harder to cut tax rates as President?
    This is not a high priority for me as President. We need to create an old age insurance program and increase our funding for education.
  • 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?
    I don't know, to be perfectly frank. Things are going well for now, but we will have many challenges to meet in places like Cuba, Lebanon, Latin America, Indochina, and elsewhere.
  • 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?
    We have too much of a farm surplus right now, and we need to reduce subsidies for production so that prices can fall into balance and benefit the consumer.
  • 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?
    I'm not satisfied with how well teachers are paid in this country, and I'd encourage local jurisdictions to address this issue further. We need to strike a good balance in this regard.
  • 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?
    The Eisenhower Administration has unfortunately failed to take any real action in undoing the excesses of the New Deal. I would like to see a more conservative Administration in power.
  • How serious, at the current time, do you believe the internal Communist threat is?
    We should always be concerned about internal subversion, but the external Soviet threat should be our primary focus 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?
    A formal apology sounds a bit extreme, but we could certainly have expressed our regrets and perhaps saved the Paris Summit from collapse.
  • 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.
  • Has the United States adequately defended against the Communist threat in Indochina? Would you support further action there if necessary?
    We need to make sure we don't overextend ourselves into new regions when the situation does not warrant it.
  • 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?
    We can always find areas for improvement, but we have successfully defended the United States and our allies from numerous Communist threats over the past eight years.
  • Where will you spend your final day before the election?
    We will travel to California and the West Coast.