I’m a longtime observer and listener of David Brooks on PBS. He is articulate, persuasive, at times humorous and, also, he can be a knee-jerk snob. That aspect of the columnist and author’s personality was on full display in his commentary about Graham Platner’s moral character during the June 5 PBS News Hour.

I  am retired. I tutor in a school devoted to the immigrant community. I am 82 years old. If David Brooks wants to know why people in Maine are supporting Graham Platner, he should come here and talk with some of us.

Brooks referencing Platner as a “a moral degenerate” only highlights the suspicious blizzard of news hot off the tap right before a primary election. Also, I find offensive the assumption that Mainers are morally undeveloped because we even countenance Platner’s running.

Having worked with returning soldiers in a PTSD clinic, I know the road home is tough. I hope Graham Platner keeps going to therapy, keeps working on his emotional issues and has good support with friends who know and trust him. I believe in his political analysis and I believe in the grassroots movement building in this state. That’s the news I want to see.

Nicole d’Entremont
Peaks Island