Cole’s bingo cards a symptom of dysfunctional politics

Althea Cole’s recent column on the presidential debate (“Biden Lost”) missed the mark. I assume the story she shared with readers that she and other GOP “party animals” gathered for watch parties with bingo cards for missteps by the other candidate and perceived slights toward their candidate was meant to be humorous, as opposed to just being sad. Little wonder that the U.S. political system is so dysfunctional.

I believe the debate showed that the real losers were the American voters. Biden looked uncertain as he intermingled different topics and struggled with words. On the other hand, Trump’s performance was as expected. His responses were often meandering. As usual, he claimed to be the greatest president ever and repeated his conspiracy theories, with little evidence to support either assertion. Trump’s responses to debate topics were generalized and void of actual details about plans to address issues such as budget deficits, inflation, and foreign policy.

Both candidates struggled with false claims during the debate. Fact checkers noted the Biden made at least 9 false claims and Trump made over 30 false claims during the debate. These raise some concerns over both Biden’s cognitive abilities as he ages, and Trump’s distant relationship with facts and truth.

It is concerning that American voters have such dismal choices in this election. As polls suggest, voters have low confidence levels in the ability of either candidate to provide the leadership this country needs. Is this the best that either party can offer? We deserve better.

John Burke

Cedar Rapids