Jim Fossel’s Aug. 25 Maine Sunday Telegram piece, “Democratic Party not living up to its name,” was pure hypocrisy. He chides Democrats for elevating Ms. Harris in the wake of Mr. Biden’s stepping down and for efforts to limit egocentric third-party candidates (Kennedy, West, Stein and others) from skewing the popular vote between the major party candidates.

He ignores Trump’s (and the Republican Party’s) far more egregious assault on democracy, first by spurious claims of election fraud (all 66 court cases were lost). That was followed by Trump’s planned Jan. 6, 2021, incitement of thousands of people bent on blocking certification of the vote by storming the Capitol.

Further, with no new evidence, Trump continues to claim the election was stolen. He characterizes the nearly 1,500 people convicted of various crimes for their part in the Capitol riot as “patriots” and promises their release if elected in 2024. And worst, he has promised widespread political violence if he is not elected in 2024.

In short, half-truths should be intolerable, even on the editorial pages of the Maine Sunday Telegram. Fossel’s piece is, at best, a classic example of “the pot calling the kettle black.” At worst, it makes him complicit (with what unfolded on Jan. 6) and what Trump promises to do if he is not elected in 2024.

Orlando Delogu
Portland