Campaign Trail Results: Game #1487689
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Mitt Romney
- Running Mate: Tim Pawlenty
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Barack Obama | 279 | 63,654,802 | 49.53 |
| ---- Mitt Romney | 259 | 63,639,470 | 49.52 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 906,107 | 0.71 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 316,463 | 0.25 |
Visits:
- Pennsylvania:7
- Ohio:3
- Michigan:1
- Nevada:1
Answers:
- 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.
- The water level of Lake Mead (the reservoir near Hoover Dam) has been steadily dropping in recent years. Should the Bureau of Reclamation regulate the use of this water more strictly?I think the system we have in place is working. There will be ebbs and flows in the water level, but we've already seen it start to rebound the last couple of years.
- Should the federal government continue to finance newer companies that attempt to develop alternative energy resources, such as solar power and electric car manufacturers?Obviously a couple of firms went bankrupt, but that happens sometimes with new companies. We shouldn't let that distract us from the overall idea of this project. Funding should remain as is.
- How do you view the practice of hydraulic fracturing (aka 'fracking') in the Dakotas and elsewhere?It would be irresponsible of me to speculate on this practice without a thorough understanding of the facts. One of the first things I will do after the election is to establish a bipartisan commission to fully investigate this issue, and to present its recommendations.
- Do you support a larger fence or even a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration?I think that what we have now is sufficient. There's no need to constantly revisit this issue when the Border Patrol has seen documented success in reducing immigration over the past few years.
- 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?I'm opposed this personally. I think that, you know, different states have different opinions on this matter and it's best left to them to decide on the issue.
- Do you support allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire for high-income households at the end of 2012?We should keep the tax cuts as is for the foreseeable future. I don't think it's sound economics to rise taxes on this group.
- Do you support increased restrictions on handgun ownership?Some limited, sensible regulation is prudent. Overall, the right to own a gun should be protected.
- Does it still make sense to provide military aid to Pakistan's government?Yes this is bad, but what are the alternatives? Should we let Pakistan fall to Muslim fundamentalists as well?
- 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.
- 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.
- Should the Social Security Trust Fund be purchasing U.S. Treasury bills? Should it be allowed to invest in other bonds and securities to potentially increase its rate of return? Or conversely, should the funds be held in a 'lockbox' to guarantee benefit payments?I think anyone who has managed money can tell you there is a place for U.S. Treasuries in any professional portfolio. Allowing the Social Security fund to invest in other securities opens a huge number of potential problems and conflicts of interest.
- Should American workers have the right to invest their Social Security withholdings in private accounts?If practical I would support a program that allows younger workers to invest a certain portion of their Social Security taxes into a different program.
- Should large banks like Chase, Citibank, and Bank of America be broken up to reduce the risk of another financial crisis?That's not the best solution for us to take. The last thing we need right now in the financial sector is some kind of arbitrary, destabilizing government action.
- 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?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.
- 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.
- If elected, what will you do to repeal Obamacare?I will offer an alternative health care reform plan which doesn't regulate private insurers to such an unrealistic extreme. I will work for malpractice reform as well, so that unnecessary litigation does not continue to drive up the cost of health care.
- How does your insurance plan in Massachusetts differ from Obamacare?My plan was effective for Massachusetts because that state has better human capital. The United States as a whole has too much obesity, diabetes, and chronic illness to make collective insurance viable.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Republican Convention?I will hammer on the theme that Obama has completely failed the United States as President. He has presided over the largest deficit increases and highest unemployment rate in almost a hundred years.
- 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.
- Be perfectly honest. How do you like Barack Obama as a person?Barack is a decent guy. Our personal feelings for each other are not the issue. What's important are our differences of opinion on how to get the American economy moving.
- In the most general terms, what will be your overall campaign strategy against Obama?My surrogates have plenty of points to make about the failure of the Obama Administration. As the nominee, I will take the high road and stick to a message of optimism and American renewal.