Are Trump and Biden the best US has got for top job?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

With the most powerful job on the planet at stake, the bar was set extremely low for the US presidential debate held on June 27. President Joe Biden only having to present himself as coherent and confident to belay voters’ fears about his age, while former President Donald Trump had to keep a cool head, a civil tongue and behave like a responsible adult.

As it tragically turned out, Mr Biden had several ‘senior moments and ‘brain farts’ when millions of eyes were trained on him, as he was mumbling, bumbling, fumbling and stumbling in his responses. Mr Trump was less bombastic than usual, while deflecting several questions and giving answers that had fact-checkers working overtime. With name-calling on both sides and even arguments about who had the better golf swing, it was a tremendously embarrassing and disorganised 90-minute extravaganza. Saddest of all, it probably did little to influence many voters, who have already chosen sides in deeply polarised America. Following the shambolic debacle, pundits at CNN were stunned, as were those in the Spin Room, reporting that Democratic politicians and donors were in panic mode after seeing Mr Biden’s performance; identical sentiments were echoed by pundits at MSNBC, who are all true-blue Democrats.

The previous day, I had watched the British Leaders Debate on BBC-TV, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak represented the Conservative Party against Sir Kier Starmer, whose Labour Party holds a 20-point advantage in the polls for July 4 election. Their 90-minute debate had a most capable moderator with a studio audience of 150, reportedly chosen by a marketing firm; each was paid £150 plus expenses of £30 (Canadian $312) by the BBC to participate, and promise not to heckle. There was one brief isolated whooping when transgender rights were mentioned, but otherwise there was polite applause throughout. Audience members posed sensible questions about the economy, Brexit, jobs, housing, immigration, etc. The loudest applause came when an audience member introduced himself as Robert and asked : ”Are you two really the best we’ve got to be prime minister of our great country?”.

The CNN debate had no audience, with rules that were put forward by the White House and agreed by both participants. What a shame there was no Robert in Atlanta to echo what the world is now thinking about the ‘Excited States of America’.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada