My dad was an odd character, a quirky genius who marched to his own drummer. He maintained high ethical standards — at work, at home, everywhere. He played fair and told the truth; and he expected others to do the same.

He always forgave the missteps of my siblings and me, as long as we fessed up to what we had done. He never spoke about the details of his work on the top secret Manhattan Project during World War II. A member of the Bridge Hall of Fame, he often chaired committees designed to resolve disputes among bridge tournament players. After my brother and I graduated from Little League baseball, he spent several years umpiring in the League, always a stickler to the rule book. He had no luck selling a used car my brother asked him to sell because he told the truth — to a fault — to prospective buyers. He felt compelled to report his net blackjack winnings in Atlantic City over the course of a year, even though the IRS would not have been the wiser if he hadn’t.

Yes, my dad was a bit odd, but he was a good honest man in every sense of that term. He was an authentic character.

Now, try to guess who made the following remarks about character. “The seamy facts under public discussion are shameful enough. But fascination with the story should not be allowed to obscure the deeper lesson these incidents impart. The lesson is this: Character counts — in people, in the institutions of our society and in our national leadership.”

Give up? Those were the words of Gary Bauer, former head of the Family Research Council, in referring to Bill Clinton’s behavior during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

My, how times have changed. To millions of Americans, Character no longer matters. Eighty-one percent of white Christian evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, even though it could be argued that Trump is the least “Christian” president in our nation’s history. He lies all the time; in fact, the “Washington Post” concluded that Trump made over 2,000 false or misleading statements during his first 355 days in office. He bullies all the time; in fact, the “New York Times” recently ran a full two-page spread documenting all the people, places and things he has insulted on Twitter since being elected President of the United States. Not surprisingly, Fox News, Russia, Vladimir Putin and the NRA were not on the list. Ask yourselves why. (NOTE: Before crying “fake news,” Trump fans, please remember that the two-page spread included Trump’s exact nasty bullying words.). Also, ask yourself why Trump has not voiced one iota of concern — let along outrage — about Russia’s efforts to meddle in our election.

But wait, there’s more. According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 90 percent of Americans believe that an American President should be a good role model for children; 63 percent believe that Trump does not exhibit good moral leadership; 60 percent say he is not honest; 65 percent say he is not level-headed; and 61 percent say he does not share their values.

Many Republicans, oddly enough, continue to cut Trump moral slack in their zest to put party over country. Tony Perkins, the current President of the Family Research Council, says, “We kind of gave him a mulligan.” When he said those words, he was well aware of Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, a porn star, after he was married to Melania. That story prompted a cartoonist to draw a cartoon with staunch Trump defender and evangelical preacher Franklin Graham exhorting his faithful to heed his words: “Traditional marriage is between a man, a woman and a porn star.”

Yes, Gary Bauer, character does count. No, Tony Perkins, Donald Trump did not deserve a “mulligan” from his lifetime — repeat lifetime, not just a slip-up with a cheesy porn star — of lying and bulling and cheating. Would you give Bernie Madoff a “mulligan” if he suddenly claimed to have renounced his shyster ways?

Some people are quite content, thank you, to condone the enormous character flaws in the current president as long as the rich can get tax cuts or immigrants can be deported or abortion can be outlawed or climate change can be denied or same-sex marriage can be banned or sexual abuse can be ignored or guns can be unregulated or the ballooning national debt can be ignored or the press can be trashed or the justice department can be undermined. I am not one of those people. And, to be honest, I’m glad my dad never had to endure the soulless, rudderless, amoral, truth-be-damned world of Donald J. Trump.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary or suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. Contact him at dtreadw575@aol.com.