Campaign Trail Results: Game #95077
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 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Mitt Romney | 290 | 63,772,568 | 49.47 |
| ---- Barack Obama | 248 | 63,937,980 | 49.60 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 884,665 | 0.69 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 305,079 | 0.24 |
Visits:
- Florida:11
- North Carolina:1
Answers:
- Should the government be doing more to stabilize home prices?I think we could be doing more to purchase homes from the banks, and perhaps rent them out until the situation improves. This would help support a price recovery.
- 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?The proper authority for enforcement rests with the federal government. This law goes further than federal laws and even if constitutional, should be repealed.
- Do you have an opinion on net neutrality?Net neutrality is essential to the internet as we know it. It must be maintained indefinitely.
- What can the U.S. do to assist pro-democracy protestors in Russia?I support the democracy protestors. I wish them the best of luck.
- What is your position on gay marriage?Gay marriage should be protected at the federal level. The Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.
- 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.
- Do you support continued subsidies for the production of ethanol fuel?Ethanol has the potential to radically change our energy equation, and to provide a clean source of renewables. We should continue these subsidies.
- What is your opinion on directing some Department of Education funding towards a school voucher program?In limited cases, such as those currently in place, there is a role for vouchers. But improving public education should be our primary focus.
- In general, do you think bilingual education programs are a good idea?Absolutely. It it discriminatory not to allow American students to learn in their native languages.
- 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.
- Do you think reduced penalties and increased treatment for drug users would help reduce the flow of drugs from Latin America?That solution is so obvious that it's a shame it hasn't been implemented yet. Without a market for drugs in the United States, there would be no cartels.
- 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.
- Would you consider a default on some U.S. debt obligations if the financial situation of the country continues to deteriorate?Under no circumstances would the United States consider that as a course of action.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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 sounds like a political non-starter. It's an interesting idea but let's steer the conversation towards something more productive.
- 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.
- 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.
- Some liberals say that you have done more to help Wall Street banks than hard-working Americans. Are you open to a more universal program of mortgage write-downs if housing prices continue to decline?The financial system is unstable enough without bringing a policy like this into play. I think it is well-intentioned, but it wouldn't necessarily be very helpful.
- 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.
- Be perfectly honest. How do you like Mitt Romney as a person?Mitt Romney is a great American success story. His efforts over the years have been admirable. I just don't think he has the best policies in mind for America.
- 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?We will attack Mitt Romney relentlessly. He has flip-flopped on key issues and he destroyed thousands of jobs at Bain Capital. He is out of touch with the American people, and he's attacking us for a health care plan that is nearly identical to his own plan in Massachusetts.