The vile comments Graham Platner made re-victimizing women, as well as his disparaging statements about the “stupidity” of rural folk and alleged ignorance of Nazi symbolism — from only 12 years ago — are certainly of deep concern.

What is of greater concern, though, is that people have dismissed these comments in favor of his self-professed “change” declaration by merely accepting an apology. Based on what?

What I see — and I have looked carefully at his “platform” and remarks, as should you — are no corresponding actions that indicate how he has changed or evidence of the changes he has allegedly made. Is an unsubstantiated apology enough to gain the trust and confidence of fellow citizens especially during this time of disastrous upheaval? It shouldn’t be.

Yes, his online “platform” and campaign speeches offer words of rage shared by many, but little substance. Resolutions he proposes are either naïve, lacking in substance or just plain incorrect. The idea for a medical school as a mechanism for increasing the number of rural doctors was recently nixed as costly and ineffective: increasing residences is far more productive. A recent ad holding Big Pharma responsible for rural hospital closures is wrong: look instead at Medicaid reimbursement rates.

His lack of any political experience coupled with an absence of practicable reforms of how to confront the severity of the issues this state and this country face during the most divisive times in recent memory should leave all of us with grave concerns.

The U.S. Senate is not a place to practice leadership and ideas.

Luisa S. Deprez
Cape Elizabeth