Donald Trump "not happy" Fernando Mendoza skipped Indiana's visit to the White House

Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza skipped Indiana’s visit to the White House on Monday. President Donald Trump made a point of mentioning Mendoza's absence.

"The reason he's not here — he was so nice, he called because he has actually . . . he's a big fan of ours," Trump said. "You wouldn't believe it, because he didn't show up. I’m not happy, but that’s OK. The reason he didn't, because he's at spring training, right? . . .

"And he's at spring training, like his first day or something. I said, 'You better go there.' But he became Indiana's first — otherwise, if he didn't do that, believe me, I wouldn't have even talked about him. I would have not. If he was not here for other reasons, like he didn't like Trump or he didn't want to come, I wouldn't have even mentioned him. I'd go through the whole [speech] — I'd talk about how great [the team was], I wouldn't even mention the quarterback's name."

It's a well-known page from the Commander-in-Chief's playbook. He likes those who like him. He dislikes those who dislike him — or who are perceived to disagree with his policies or his general approach to holding the highest office in the land and are willing to say so.

The attitude has created a culture of extreme sensitivity from sea to shining sea. Anyone who has a legitimate dispute is labeled a certain way, without regard to the merits of their position. To borrow a line from Trump, it's "sad!" More accurately, it's exhausting.

It also makes it impossible for people of reasonable minds to resolve their differences reasonably. Instead of addressing the merits, a person who doesn't kiss the ring and/or toe the party line is labeled a certain way. Which allows the party articulating fair scrutiny to have their honest and authentic beliefs ignored, while the party with the power gravitates toward those who will say publicly whatever they hope to hear.

Regardless of whether they truly believe the things they say.

True beliefs no longer matter. To get along is to go along. To say all the right things, at all the right times. And if anyone steps out of line, they're attacked and diminished and possibly threatened, subtly or otherwise.

Some will resist the bullying. Some won't. In the end, we all have to find a way to sleep every night, and to be greeted every morning by the man or woman in the mirror.