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In this time of political division, the takeaways I got from the presidential debates are two that most people would agree on. First, neither candidate deserved to be elected. President Joe Biden because he could not provide clear, compelling answers to the questions; former President Donald Trump because he did not. Second, unless the political parties put forward candidates who show evidence that they can address the critical problems facing our country, we are in real trouble.
Roger B. Day, Duluth
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Last night's “debate” was the saddest live event I've witnessed since the first presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy in 1960. Nixon was sweating profusely while Kennedy was cool and collected. Nixon lost that year.
The grin on Trump's face looked like a cat that had swallowed a canary. And it did!
Jean Efron, Hopkins
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If it wasn't clear before last night, it's clear now. It's time for Biden to step down. The debate was really painful to watch. There were lies on one side of the stage and a lot of contradictions on the other. Given the structure of the debate and the constant stream of obviously misinformation from the former president, a random member of a high school debate team with a little bit of preparation time (less than the week he had) could have literally scathingly criticized Trump's lies and false statements. Please consider urging everyone you know to demand change before it's too late. Personally, I would like to see the Democrats nominate current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He knows policy, knows how to legislate, and is respected by elected officials of all kinds. Even in a lower election he would be a help, not a hindrance. Come on America, what else do you have to lose but an election?
Steven L. Bonfig, Maplewood
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It's a sad day for America when someone who confidently lied was deemed to have won a debate over someone who gave substantive, factual answers. Biden had a cold and a lifelong stutter that caused him to speak hesitantly at times.
Trump didn't just repeat a lie, his answer was a series of lies and exaggerations. Trump repeatedly said that other world leaders had a lot of respect for him, but not for Biden. But you may remember the UN delegation laughing. in President Trump faced strong protests when he said his administration was the best in U.S. history, and there were large protests when he visited France and the U.K., but President Biden received a gracious welcome when he visited the EU.
CNN let us down by not moderating the debate. They didn't fact check, they didn't let Trump answer questions, and they didn't ask about Project 2025. We are in danger of losing our democracy. From day one in office, Trump has spoken of being a dictator and retaliating against his enemies. Republican Project 2025 is over 900 pages long and details how to put the entire federal bureaucracy under presidential control, dismantle departments like Education, restrict voting rights, and more. CNN had no questions or concerns about the future of our democracy.
What we need is real debate about programs and policies, not carnival entertainment where “performance” is everything and truth and sincerity are irrelevant.
Terry Burke, St. Louis Park
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The American people did not need any analysis from political pundits about last night's presidential debate. It was clearly a wimpy old man versus a big liar. Other countries must be horrified at this folly that our political parties have continually supported for fear of losing years of power and momentum. How different it would be if Nikki Haley, or even the more obscure Dean Phillips, would tell us the truth about their passions and motivations (and yes, young!). Both Democrats and Republicans are failing us.
Judy Lai Palermo, Shoreview
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As a mid-80s living independently in an Episcopal home, I can easily see the confused and bewildered look on President Biden's face during the first half of last night's debate. When I or others in the building look confused, neighbors, family, and staff gently guide us to the assisted living facility. None of us are making decisions that affect the country or the world. Biden has been a great president. I hope he leaves gracefully. His aides and Democrats must have the courage to guide him on his journey. Otherwise, we will have an evil, crazy man who was once president elected.
Kathleen Verenga, St. Paul
The author is a former Minnesota State Representative (1981-1994).
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Saw “Grumpy Old Men” on Thursday. And I'm not talking about the movie version. Both parties should be ashamed of themselves for deciding who they let represent them to the world. One couldn't remember the lines and the other couldn't remember the questions. I hope neither gets nominated at the convention.
Robert Shearer, Lake St. Croix Beach
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Democrats need to make their convention a true nominating convention. I call on Democratic leadership to hold a convention so our candidates can make their case for the nomination for President of the United States. To continue with Biden is to hand the country over to Trump. Let the delegates, and audiences across the country, hear people like Cory Booker, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker, Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren and others. Let them hear the stories of candidates with sound policies who can move and inspire a very unsettled country.
Deborah Schulick, St. Paul
Anti-Semitism
University of Minnesota needs positive change
Kudos to State Senator Ron Lutz for organizing a Senate hearing on anti-Semitism at the University of Minnesota (“President Defends University of Minnesota Actions,” June 26). Attendees at Tuesday's hearing learned about widespread anti-Semitism at the University of Minnesota, including anti-Semitic phrases graffitied on university buildings (“Glory to the Resistance” on a wall in Coffman Union), a chalk message reading “Victory to the Al-Aqsa Flood” on a sidewalk at Northrop Mall (“Al-Aqsa Flood” is what Hamas called the October 7 attack on Israel), and pro-Palestinian protesters chanting “From the river to the sea” while camped on campus.
According to university statistics, one-third of reported bias incidents in the past academic year involved anti-Semitic or anti-Israel acts, even though Jewish students make up only about 1 percent of undergraduates. The most recent anti-Semitic incident occurred on June 7, when four shots were fired from a BB gun into the window of the university's Jewish Hillel House.
As we look back at history, we must remember that offensive words and destructive actions have dire consequences. Nazi Germany ultimately killed six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of non-Jews, including LGBTQ people, people with physical and mental disabilities, etc. Let's hope that as students return to campus this fall and new President Rebecca Cunningham takes office, we will see positive changes at the University regarding anti-Semitism.
Sylvia Fine, Minneapolis
Twins Coverage
This TV contract discrepancy is ridiculous
After a long winter of looking forward to baseball, we have a month of Twins on TV, and now we are told that corporate giants Bally Sports and Comcast have not been able to come to an agreement on a new contract and are now not even talking. So, being a loyal fan, I called the Twins office to ask what is going on with this. The kind woman at Twins customer service told me that she has not heard anything about this disagreement since it began, that she was not involved in the negotiations, and that she has no power to resolve the issue.
What? That's like saying when two kids are fighting on the school yard the teacher can't make them shake hands and make up. Twins management needs to try harder! Because not only will there be no Joey Chestnut on the 4th of July, but fans in 12 metropolitan areas won't be able to watch their baseball team either. Sad.
Diane Rifkin, Bloomington
