Presidential debate bingo

We know presidential elections are not a game. But we also know that talking about politics shouldn’t have to be endlessly painful.

With the third presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton set for tonight, we’ve created these two bingo boards to lay out a set of topics we think the nation needs to hear more about — and a set of topics that will waste our time and wear out our patience. As for the latest revelations about Trump’s disturbing view of women as sex objects and those about the troublesome emails of Hillary Clinton and her aides, we think there is a lot of explaining called for — and no chance of hearing anything tonight that will change any views.

Most of the buzzwords on our “Enough already!!” bingo board are not there because they’re trivial, but because they cover ground so well plowed that there’s no chance of turning up anything new.

What happened in Benghazi matters, as does Clinton’s use of a private server. So does the truth about Trump University and what’s in his tax returns. But the candidates’ oft-repeated answers on these issues aren’t going to change.

Stop bickering about admiring Vladimir Putin and tell us how you’d deal with him.

Stop arguing about the “Muslim ban” and explain how you would combat terrorism.

Don’t tell us about your dad’s drapery business or your real estate empire. Instead, explain, with specifics, how to create a vibrant business climate.

Give us a substantive discussion that lets us see what you’d do as president, and we’ll all shout “Bingo!”

Play this board for a substantive debate

Play this board for the same trivial topics