John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com

Since the presidential debate, analysts’ reviews have mostly avoided the Republican elephant in the room. They have focused primarily on President Biden’s weak performance. Donald Trump has been an afterthought, defined only by his flashy superlatives. When he is mentioned, it is with the understanding of the critics that his bluster attracted the approval of the audience and convinced them that he was the winner of the debate. Pundits explained that many watchers of the debate, in effect, did not notice they were hearing only meaningless hyperbole void of details on issues, filled with falsehoods, and ignoring questions from the moderator.

During the last half hour of the debate, I wrote down twenty-four superlative and hyperbolic phrases that Mr. Trump used, sometimes more than once. I missed some, as they came faster than I could write. Here is a sample: “Best ever,” “more than anyone can imagine,” “worst (best) in history,” “I was the best (president) ever,” “never before,” “losers,” “criminals.”

He spoke as if everything he said was unchallengeable, no explanation needed. He did not offer any supportive information or examples to justify his superlatives, except a series of falsehoods about the border debate. The Times columnist Bret Stephens said that he “evaded questions, made false statements and preposterous claims and was bombastic from the first moment to the last.” It is a sad commentary that some critics believed the audience would be taken in by these antics and would see Mr. Trump as the winner of the debate. It is an insult to the voters’ intelligence.

It is also absurd to judge President Biden as unfit for office based only on the observation that his presence was weak, he stumbled over a few words, and appeared nervous during the first part of the debate. There should be more credit given for President Biden’s clear explanations of his positions on issues such as healthcare, economics, NATO, and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. He often clarified his position by detailing three points to explain the particulars of an issue. Newspaper columnist Lydia Polgreen wrote, “On substance, Biden had the right answers and sensible policies but struggled to articulate them.”

Who among us has not struggled at one time or another to explain ourselves? As for the effects of aging, walking with more caution and speaking less smoothly does not necessarily signal incompetence. Unfortunately, our contemporary society treats aging as a handicap. It may be the time to revisit perceptions of growing old. It may be time to recapture the tradition of recognizing the wisdom of our elders: straightforward advice based on experience and knowledge, without the need to use hyperbole.

I do not agree with all of President Biden’s views or actions. For example, his position on the United States’ relationship with Israel leaves out a consideration of the occupation of Palestine and the oppression of the IDF on the Palestinian people. However, he does exhibit a wisdom learned over years of elected office in the U.S. House and the Senate.

It is a sad commentary when Americans are perceived as being influenced by Trump’s flashy superlatives and hyperbole as evidence that he was the winner of the debate and fit to be president. The American people must look for the wisdom in a candidate. They must look for a candidate who is familiar with getting knocked down and getting back up, is guided by accurate information, and has the courage to face into new possibilities and ideas; all spoken with a clear economy of words.

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Of course, no one is that perfect. But America needs a president with the wisdom to govern in a democracy, with the insight to understand people as more than winners and losers, and who seeks freedom and justice for all people. The choice is ours — guaranteed flattery and hyperbole or potential wisdom of elders.