Trump called Schumer a clown in this series of tweets.

When have we ever heard a president call other people names? I guess it was acceptable when he was a candidate, with “Crooked Hillary” and “Lying Ted,” but I consider it below the dignity of the office for the president to call ordinary citizens, or other politicians, names. Trump labels people. That’s a classic bully tactic. You learn about that in Psychology 101. Just go to Facebook or YouTube comments. People pull the “you’re a fucking idiot” stunt when they run out of valid arguments. Unfortunately, and to my embarrassment for our country, Trump does not seem to have many valid arguments in the first place.

Imagine, for a minute, if Obama had EVER called Mitch McConnell a clown. We would not have heard the end of it. Obama would be blasted for being arrogant. But then, Obama never did that. Even when he ridiculed Trump during the campaign, he did it with class and eloquence.

Then there is Michele Obama. When she wore this sleeveless dress in March 2009, showing off toned biceps and triceps, there was a national uproar about it.

Yet, you can google “Melania Trump” and find pictures like this, which is one of the tamer ones, and nobody seems to mind.

Granted, this is an old photograph from her previous life as a model. There are others where she is out with Trump in see-through dresses. I am sure now that she is first lady, there will be no such photographs going forward, and all we will see is classiness and very expensive wardrobe.

But Melania’s past is not my point. My point is that we blasted the Obamas for trifles, while we excuse Trump for glaring indiscretions. The double-standard that applies to Trump is unprecedented. How did this happen? Over 62 million Americans voted for Trump.

Here is the interesting thing, though: When you ask Trump supporters why they voted for him, the unequivocal answer, and mostly the only one, is a variation of “He is a brilliant business man and he’ll use that skill to be benefit of our country.” They just trust him to do that.

The supposition is that all it takes to be president are good business skills. The United States is a business.

I don’t believe that. It helps if the president has a mind for business. But he should also have a mind for decorum. He should know how to spell. He should think about the impact of his statements before he blabs them. He should not use the power of his office to belittle ordinary citizens, or fellow politicians. He should not lie. He should not say one thing today and the opposite tomorrow, and think it will go unnoticed.

He should not think we’re all idiots.

There is a double standard between how we thought of Obama, and how we are starting to think of Trump, and it’s not healthy for our country.