To the Editor:

Re “No, Not Sanders, Not Ever,” by David Brooks (column, Feb. 28):

I’m the quintessential traditional liberal whom David Brooks talks about. I am committed to the system that Mr. Brooks says Bernie Sanders wants to tear down. But while Mr. Sanders isn’t my first, or even third, choice among the Democratic candidates, I won’t hesitate to vote for him should he become the nominee — and, if he has a lick of sense, neither should Mr. Brooks.

Mr. Sanders may have bizarrely charitable views about the policies of some cruel authoritarians such as Fidel Castro. But let’s be clear about what really matters: Mr. Sanders is not himself an authoritarian and would not govern like one.

I have no doubt that Mr. Sanders believes in the rule of law; that he would not use the power of the state against political enemies; and that he would not demean and degrade institutions such as the press, the courts, the Justice Department and the diplomatic corps. Nor is Mr. Sanders cruel.

In all of those things, Mr. Sanders is the antithesis of the man currently in the White House. If you want to preserve constitutional democracy, David Brooks, think again.