Franky, I don’t think either of them should run again.

One is very old; the other not much younger.

One is under indictment for crimes; the other one’s son is negotiating plea deals for two misdemeanor charges for tax frauds and a felony weapons charge.

One is out on bail for a litany of criminal charges in Georgia, the other is ‘guilty’ by association.

So, what can the country expect going forward?

The news cycle is laden with discussion about all the criminal charges against Trump and Hunter Biden (putting Joe Biden in the dust up of his son’s bad deeds) and the media gurus, across all platforms, are obsessed with comments and speculation about the repercussions from these made and/or pending charges.

About Trump: Guilty as charged, or not? Jail time if guilty, or not? Mug shot, or not? Constitutionally prohibited from running, or not?

About Biden: Did he benefit from any of his son’s monetary gains, or not? Did his monetary gains, if any, influence his position on China, or not? Was he a corrupt player in Ukraine during Obama’s administration, or not?

The list of questions grows daily.

It is against this dark and sinister backdrop that we have entered a kind of purgatory during the presidential campaign season. While the wait is proving torturous, in the end we hope to be cleansed; to move past litigations and enjoy a successful election.

At least, that is the hope., I have eagerly awaited my opportunity to vote for our president, the highest office of the land; for the leader of the free world.

Heretofore, this election has been held to lofty standards marked by individual deportment and civility amongst candidates, at least prior to 2016. But the nation has changed, and the electorate now demands a mixed-martial cage fight instead of staid televised debates about issues.

We want blood. We yearn for retribution for real and perceived government slights, for set-backs in our pocketbooks, for fast-changing demographics, for growing unease between racial, ethnic and religious groups, for unresolved chaos at the southern border, for the hordes of homeless living on downtown streets, for threats to our amended rights, for confusions about gender roles and assignments, for losing autonomy over uteruses, to name a few.

These grievances and more are felt across the wide spectrum of political thought or preference, causing, some would say, the greatest divide since the Civil War.

It’s enough to make US citizens long for other shores. Lately, I’ve heard discussions about the merits of living abroad. Some are looking at Portugal, but I’m reminded that the Atlantic slave trade began under their reign, and even after nearly 400 years, I still must wonder about Portuguese attitudes about their historical role and how they feel about African-descended Blacks. Have they made reparations?

But I digress.

Yet with so much air being sucked up around criminal charges of wrong-doing against Trump and Biden (by proxy), just how many bread and butter issues, or items on that list of grievances, do you think will be debated between those two leading candidates.

But must they be the nominees?

There must be several others who can equally carry the messages of the respective Republican and Democrat platforms, as well as some folk who can represent every other policy position inbetween the two major parties.

I, for one welcome fresh ideas from new voices, new faces, and new levels of energy to join the political season of discourse and debate.

And much like building a major league sport team, developing deep benches must be beneficial, especially in the presidential candidate pool.

But who are the players?

We know the prospects in the Republican lineup, at least the dozen or so who are jockeying for room on the upcoming debate stages, but the Democrats remain a one-trick pony.

I appreciate all the solid arguments for supporting Biden: He has won once against Trump, the current Republican front-runner, he is a veteran of elected office, having served 50 plus years, and he has developed good, long relationships with our foreign partners.

What we know for sure is that warts and all, there is little we don’t know about Joe, and a lot of what we know is ugly, very ugly.