Campaign Trail Results: Game #883937
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 2012
- Player Candidate: Mitt Romney
- Running Mate: Paul Ryan
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Mitt Romney | 354 | 68,651,213 | 52.87 |
| ---- Barack Obama | 184 | 60,034,371 | 46.23 |
| ---- Gary Johnson | 0 | 863,143 | 0.66 |
| ---- Jill Stein | 0 | 306,608 | 0.24 |
Visits:
- Michigan:5
- Oregon:5
- Maine:1
- Minnesota: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.
- Should the United States have been so quick to drop its support for Hosni Mubarak in 2011, given recent events in Egypt?We have allowed one of the last moderate regimes in the Middle East to be replaced by Muslim fundamentalists. This is an unconscionable betrayal of our ally Israel and will harm American security.
- 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.
- Should the United States contribute funds to help stabilize the European Union's sovereign debt problems, in order to prevent a possible debt contagion?I trust that the European Union will find a way to resolve this issue.
- Would you support posting active U.S. Army troops on the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration and drug smuggling?I support a wall and I support the presence of American troops. The purpose of the military is to defend our borders.
- 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?I hate to keep coming back to this, but we need a wall at the border and we need to greatly step up our enforcement efforts. Longer prison sentences and a stronger DEA will reduce drug trafficking.
- What is your position on gay marriage?Under no circumstances should the sacred institution of marriage be undermined. The Defense of Marriage Act was passed specifially to address this 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 continued subsidies for the production of ethanol fuel?Hmm... I think we need more research to really know how this program is performing. Our Administration will make this a high priority.
- 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.
- 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?That is nearly two years. We need unemployment benefits but these extensions were clearly out of control.
- 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.
- What is your opinion on the Occupy Wall Street movement?I don't approve of these tactics. These protestors need to grow up and work within the system.
- 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?Since the founding of our country, the free market has always been a bulwark of our prosperity.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- What do you think the next steps should be in regards to Medicare?There are plenty of ways we can strengthen this system by reducing the role of government within it. For example, younger Americans should have the option to invest in personal health accounts.
- You are one of the wealthiest individuals to ever run for President. Does this make it harder for you to understand the concerns of the average American voter?Ann and I lived in a basement apartment and ate tuna fish. I wasn't rich until my success in business, which I make no apology for.
- During your tenure, Bain Capital laid off thousands of workers at various companies that it purchased. Are you proud of your work at that company?We created numerous companies like Staples, which are American success stories employing thousands of people.
- What will be the overriding theme of your nomination speech at the Republican Convention?I will emphasize the point that the Republican Party has a big tent. We are the party for anyone who tries to work hard and get ahead in America.
- What is your guiding foreign policy philosophy?Non-Intervention -- Most of our foreign troop deployments are relics of the Cold War. We need to stop occupying other nations and focus on fixing our problems here at home.
- 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.