Campaign Trail Results: Game #886875
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Barack Obama
- Running Mate: Joe Biden
- 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 | 303 | 64,765,064 | 50.50 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 235 | 62,296,186 | 48.58 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 872,867 | 0.68 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 302,136 | 0.24 |
Visits:
- Ohio:7
- Florida:2
- Iowa:1
- Pennsylvania:1
- Virginia:1
Answers:
- What is your opinion on the detention center at Guantanamo Bay? Would you consider closing it after the election?I would like to close it, but we need to figure out an alternative way to detain these people.
- 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 federal government continue to finance newer companies that attempt to develop alternative energy resources, such as solar power and electric car manufacturers?Every day that we don't invest in solar power is a day that we fall further behind countries like China and Germany. Investment should be increased.
- Do you have an opinion on net neutrality?Net neutrality is essential to the internet as we know it. It must be maintained indefinitely.
- Would you support posting active U.S. Army troops on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration and drug smuggling?I don't agree with that course of action. The Border Patrol is in place to do just that job.
- What is your position on gay marriage?Gay marriage should be protected at the federal level. The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.
- Is the United States too reliant on fossil fuels for its energy needs?Yes. We need to combine the use of these sources with further research into solar and wind power.
- 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.
- 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.
- Do you support increased restrictions on handgun ownership?Some limited, sensible regulation is prudent. Overall, the right to own a gun should be protected.
- 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.
- Would you support a Constitutional Amendment to overturn some provisions of the Citizens United ruling, affecting campaign finance by PAC's?Perhaps not a Constitutional Amendment. These should be reserved for the most serious of issues. I think we can investigate maybe other ways to prevent money from having an undue influence in politics.
- 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?This is entirely appropriate for an economy recovering from the worst recession since the 1930s. Additionally, there have been repeated jobs proposals in Congress, all of which have been sabotaged by Republican obstructionism.
- Do you have any comment to make on the performance of Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve?No comment as of now. I will deliberate very carefully as to whether Bernanke should be reappointed, but for the moment it's not appropriate for politicans to address the performance of the Federal Reserve.
- Apple's use of cheap, Chinese labor via Foxconn has increased the visibility of labor conditions in that country. Do you think that China competes unfairly with the U.S. by denying basic rights to its workers?Any trade deals should be negotiated with a fair balance between American and Chinese interests. China is not doing enough to protect the rights of their workers, which gives them an unfair advantage in global trade.
- 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.
- What actions do you support to mitigate the effects of climate change?We should have more laws and regulations to reduce our total carbon emissions. Sensible next steps include some combination of a cap-and-trade program domestically, as well as international agreements with other nations.
- Without divulging a preference for any particular religious group, do you believe that America was founded as a Christian nation?Thomas Jefferson himself rebuked this notion in his writings. Now over two hundred years later, religious fanatics are trying to bring this idea back. This is part of a dangerous, long-term agenda to turn the U.S. into a sectarian state.
- 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?We need much greater spending to protect our most vulnerable citizens, but the least we can do is to make sure that existing programs like this one are protected from right-wing demagogues.
- 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?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.
- Christina Romer -- formerly the Chairperson on your Council of Economic Advisors -- stated in 2009 that unemployment would be less than 6% by 2012 if the stimulus package was enacted. What went wrong, and did the results of the stimulus have any bearing on her resignation?First of all, this had no bearing on her decision to leave the Obama Administration. Secondly, the economy was in much worse shape in early 2009 than anyone realized. Since that time we have repeatedly tried to pass additional stimulus measures and have been thwarted by House Republicans at every opportunity.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Democratic Convention?I will talk about the myriad methods that the Republicans use to divide our country. I will remind everyone that Democrats are truly the party of the common person -- regardless of background or income level.
- 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?Behind the scenes my surrogates have plenty of dirt to spread about Romney and the Republicans. As President, I will stick to a message of optimism and hope in my own campaign speeches.