Longtime reporter and political commentator Cokie Roberts visited St. Joseph Tuesday for the 23rd R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at Missouri Western State University.

During a media availability before the speech, Roberts fielded some of the same questions being posed to the two major-party candidates for president.

“There’s a sense of ‘just make it work’ for heaven’s sake, and nobody seems to be doing that,” she said, when asked about how the dysfunction in Washington is affecting voters.

“It makes the (Bernie) Sanders people crazy when they’re compared to the Trump people,” Roberts said, “but of course there’s a similarity, and obviously the dysfunction in Washington has a great deal to do with that.”

Her speech during the convocation was entitled “Insider’s View of the 2016 Presidential Election.” She told reporters that the close margins between the two major-party candidates should not be surprising.

“It’s a tied electorate, and therefore it’s a tied election,” she said. “and that was going to be true no matter what, and no matter whom were the nominees.

“So, what we have to see is how the few people who are not already committed, decide to go, and the next few weeks will determine that.”

Roberts engaged in a lively give-and-take with the reporters. When one asked a question that began with a reference to her years as a political reporter, she interrupted before the question had been asked: “…NO…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

We asked if she believes that the system is rigged, as has been asserted by at least two candidates, and she challenged us to answer the question.

Is the system rigged? “…the system isn’t rigged, but the system needs help.”

Tell me how. “You tell me how, the voters are the people who have to make it work.”

What’s wrong with it now? “People are much too polarized, and much too unwilling to compromise, and much too unwilling to talk to each other.”

When asked about the specifics of a new campaign issue, the health of Hillary Clinton, Roberts was blunt.

“Donald Trump has been setting Hillary Clinton up for a health issue for months. He started talking about her strength and stamina back in January knowing that a candidate gets sick. The public was primed and we’ll see how they react. It’s hard to know how big an issue it’s going to be. It can’t help.”

She was also quick to point that issue back at Mr. Trump.

“Donald Trump should be releasing his health records, he should be releasing his tax returns. We know very little about Donald Trump.”

She then chastised both candidates.

“I don’t know at what point a candidate is going to learn that it’s better to tell the truth the first time,” she said. “It is so crazy that we keep going through this over and over.”