Campaign Trail Results: Game #902531
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Mitt Romney
- Running Mate: Tim Pawlenty
- Difficulty Level: Normal
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
AlexDiffin
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Barack Obama | 314 | 66,112,368 | 50.92 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 224 | 62,505,978 | 48.14 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 895,074 | 0.69 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 318,988 | 0.25 |
Visits:
- Iowa:4
- Pennsylvania:4
- Florida:2
- Virginia:2
Answers:
- Some observers have argued that an embargo of Cuba makes little sense in a post Cold War environment. What do you think?Are you suggesting that after fifty years of putting pressure on the Communist regime, when we're now so close to restoring democracy to that island, that we suddenly give up and let Castro win?
- 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.
- Would you support posting active U.S. Army troops on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration and drug smuggling?Those decisions, you know, I think our military is a fine force and that's not necessarily the best use of its resources.
- 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?We should provide more military aid to Mexico to help them fight against this scourge.
- 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 The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.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?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.
- Would it help our economy if government employment was increased? Or would this divert valuable resources from the private sector?I think it's a bad thing that overall government employment has dropped during the recession. This continues to be one the biggest obstacles to a stronger recovery.
- 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 is the wrong way to reform the American health care system. We should be focusing on malpractice reform and on cutting red tape for private insurers.
- 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?Some economists estimate that the unemployment rate would be 1-2% lower if unemployment benefits were not so long in duration.
- 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.
- 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.
- The budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development was cut by nearly $4 billion in 2012. Do you think subsidized housing for the poor is a good place to begin reducing the federal deficit?We'll have to make decisions like these at some point. It's better to do so now when we still have some control over the outcome, rather than waiting for a budget crisis to kick in.
- 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.
- 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.
- Without divulging a preference for any particular religious group, do you believe that America was founded as a Christian nation?This is an arcane debate. The First Amendment guarantees religious freedom in the U.S., and the personal beliefs of the founders are not a relevant policy issue.
- The most recent data (for 2010) on Pell Grants indicate that 60% of all college students receive one. In that same year, the program cost $36 billion. What changes, if any, would you recommend to this program?Students are the future of this country and they need all the help they can get to make it through college, especially considering how much tuition has been increased over the past few years.
- What do you think the next steps should be in regards to Medicare?Medicare is a good program. We need to find some way of controlling costs and of more effectively managing care, but the overall program is sound.
- Do FEMA insurance payouts encourage real estate developers to build in disaster prone areas?There is absolutely a danger of this happening. That's why we have a National Flood Insurance Program which provides strict guidelines on where people are permitted to build.
- Over half of all sexual harassment complaints filed in 2011 were dismissed -- an increase from previous years. Do you think enough is being done to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace?I don't think we should jump to any conclusions based on one or two years of data. I'm glad you bring this up though. It's a subject worthy of further study by an official panel.
- Scott Brown is currently fighting the good fight in the Massachusetts Senate race. Would you be open to offering him a position in your Administration if he falls short there?We like Scott right where he is -- in the U.S. Senate. I'm confident that's where he'll be in 2013 as well.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Republican Convention?My message will be a message of hope. After four years of economic blight the American people need to feel good about themselves, and they need to know that their efforts will be rewarded with material prosperity.
- 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 Obama?I will reach out to moderates and conservative Democrats and attempt to build an all-encompassing coalition. It's time that America had a true leader in charge.