When exactly did America stop being great and when will it start again?

Great in what way? It could be argued that America has never been great, that the best part of America is that it recognizes its flaws as a nation and works toward improving, looking for that "more perfect union."

It's disturbing that recent times have revealed so many Americans who plainly have no interest in democracy, and would prefer a feudal corporate theocracy. They reject diversity. They reject science. They reject everything that has formed the strongest elements — the closest things that America can genuinely claim as greatness — in favor of something lesser.

As a friend of mine once said, the difference between the two major factions in America is that one wants the nation to live up to its highest ideals, and the other wants it to be just another tribe.

When we start once again, as a unified nation, to live up to those high ideals, then I think there is the possibility of greatness.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

I remember when Jimmy Carter gave his "malaise speech" on 15 July 1979. He spoke of a crisis of confidence in the American people. A lack of unity, a lack of optimism. He spoke of a wounded nation because of the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK. And spoke of stagnation and drift.

The conservatives tortured him for that. For daring to question, in any shape for form, American exceptionalism-- even though that was not what Carter was trying to do. Reagan used the "malaise speech" against Carter when he announced his candidacy some months later. In his words: [i]I find no national malaise. I find nothing wrong with the American people.[/i] Carter also flushed his cabinet and was tortured for that as well. It reflected a lack of leadership.

Now we have a POTUS, theoretically in the same political lineage as Reagan, at least the same party-- running on a platform that America is not great. That he can make it great again. And his staffing is so volatile that WH letterhead is "fill in the blank".

It stopped being great when we let Justin Bieber in from Canada.

It stopped being great when Trump became president and will be great again when Trump leaves....

It's a subjective question anyone would have a different answer to. As for myself: on the one hand, I probably could try to weave a narrative of decline [i]in certain important respects[/i] during the post-WWII era; on the other, it is a bit hard sometimes even to empathize with the cause of the 1776 revolutionaries if you're operating with a half-accurate account of what led up to all of that.

In my own lifetime, I will say that the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 marked a little-spoken-of ominous turning point.

When was it great ?

Stopped 1-20-89 started again 1-20-17

when they assumed they were great

*Gets out measuring tape*

Seems like the government keeps shutting off. Must not be so great. (joke)