Dear Senators McCain and Obama:

No need to worry. My ego is not so big that I assume you will read this. Heck I’ll be shocked if an intern looks at it. So with my expectations low, I want to ask you both to do me a favor. Could you please stay away from the race card game between now and let’s say the  third week of November?

Now before either of you freak, let me explain. Yes I know you are both trying to get the ultimate prize and sharp elbows are expected to be thrown every now and then. You two are pols and have a history of keeping an iron fist in a velvet glove (or some such metaphor). But the race game gets us nowhere. I’m not blaming anyone right now and to be honest both of the parties have histories with race that are rather embarrassing; however, the last thing this election needs is week-ends where talking heads play “who played the first race card” game. I take that back. My week-ends are better off when I don’t have to see the media try to stumble its way around race. Heck we can barely tell the news.

None of this means you two should be silent about race matters. I would like to know how as a nation we deal with an  abysmal high school graduation rate in black and brown communities. Or HIV/AIDS numbers in the black community that are simply shameful. These are the race talks we should be having. Those aren’t even race talks per se; they are topics that have a profound impact on the republic no matter your position  on the the racial divide.

Well there you go. My two cents. I think you both know all of this, but elections and negativity go hand in hand. Voters might wring our hands and say how we hate the negative vibes but we groove to it. It would be nice though if politicians would every now and then throw us a curve. Thanks for listening. Or not.

Sincerely,

James

PS: RIP Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn