couldn't agree more about Ike. and then the american ppl rejected the last honest POTUS with integrity, Jimmy Carter. and now they're totally Fcked.

Watergate was probably the event which really began the downhill slide. It was at this juncture in US history in which the citizens began to lose faith in the government and understand that government and private interests were working in tandem to screw over and eliminate the middle class.

I'd say the country embracing and ignoring the negative ramifications of racism after the Civil War. The country killed Lincoln and let Johnson a southern racist, sympathetic to the traitors who had tried to tear the country apart, run the country. And like predictions of today's President, Johnson's racism was so bad that he was impeached, but not removed. For some pathetic reason, they can't remove a disgusting human being elected as President, much like today's congress.

A generation later, President Wilson had a viewing of "The Birth of a Nation" in the White House making the KKK American heroes and giving racism a boost that can be felt to this day. The movie created a version of America that still affects the social, political and cultural aspects of this country to this day. President Wilson was an overt racist and his validation of openly racist policies and engrandising a movie that depicted black people as inferior as a "masterpiece" is reflected in the current political dynamics of today in a current President.

For two generations after that, non-white people were relegated to the sidelines of society given meager educational opportunities and poor economic opportunities instead of supplying all citizens with quality educations, housing and employment opportunities. Purposely holding back whole swathes of the population because of the color of their skin (See Rosewood and Black Wall Street massacres) denied the ability build economic structures to help strengthen the overall economy. Such racial social tactics created holes in the system that weakened it overall.

After the Civil Rights Movement a politician being openly racist was taboo in most of America (but apparently not in private as recent tapes of Nixon and Reagan came out showing their private racism) but the undercurrent was still there and exists to this day as our President so effectively points out every day.

The Civil War could have been a turning point in this country, but instead America spent generations trying to ignore the negative ramifications of freeing people but not giving them equal rights while trying to make the traitors who tried to overthrow the country comfortably fit into America as if they did nothing wrong. Building statues and creating memorabilia to get the country to ignore the traitorous actions of the south. Ever since then racism has been insinuated into the culture so effectively that most people don't even know their actions perpetuate it because it's "just how they were raised."

"We must learn how to compose differences not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose." I guess that did not apply to Guatemala when he sent the Navy down their to topple the democratically elected government.
Here is the legacy Eisenhower left Guatemala with: [en.wikipedia.org]
[en.wikipedia.org]

if you try hard enough you can trace it back to andrew johnson, but think nixon's treason (i am not talking about watergate) was pretty significant -- though maybe in the long run not as significant as his consultations with roger ailes. yes, fox news was a gleam in their eyes....

g

I'm just going to be perfectly honest here, and I don't care if anyone dislikes my opinion which I will try to back with as many facts as possible. ( Not that it stopped me before )

The decline of the US has been directly parallel to the rise of China, because their more technocratic approach to politics is vastly superior in terms of infrastructure and technological development to the corporate/lawyer based system in the US ( US is second for lawyers per capita in the world )
[abovethelaw.com]
This is a huge problem for both global and personal security of everyone because the US and China are on a war path, and could potentially see open conflict in the next 20 years over the rise of AI and virtual resources. This is a huge deal, because if the US loses it will likely spell the end of democracy.
[wired.com]
The US has a slight technological advantage that is slipping away fast, many even argue that China has already surpassed the US on account of they are almost ready to roll out 5G technology into all their major cities, even though the US is years away from this capability.
[cnbc.com]
All of this is closely tied to the reason I support LAWS ( Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems ) so strongly is because I think that we need all the help we can get if we want to maintain our individual freedoms in a non authoritarian regime.

I would have to cite two points:

The first point would be the election of Nixon in 1968. I choose this for two reasons:

1. It marks the beginning of Lee Atwater's "Southern Strategy" (i.e., running a racist campaign using dog whistle comments).
2. it was the first in a string of Republican Presidential election victories based on treason (Nixon's deal with Hanoi, Reagan's deal with Tehran, and Trump's deal with Moscow).

The second point would be the publication of the Powell Memo on August 23, 1971. That memo was basically a declaration of war on the middle class by, as FDR called them, the monied interests.

The election of Obama. The GOP went insane at that point. Then, with the election of DJT, the Dems went even more insane. The U.S. desperately needs a "party" of independent centrists.

Don't wave the "Ike" flag too much. He's the one who put "In God We Trust" on our currency.

I don’t believe we are in a downward slide at all.
Also in what arena do you consider us sliding?
Politically, economically, socially, industrially, agriculturally?
There are lots of options. What are you referring to?

I'll be honest, I am an independent so I don't clutch to the idea of a "team". Rather, I prefer substance, ethics (in politics?), and true representation of the people. I've voted for multiple party lines and groups in the past. But really, I vote for the person (or at least the "brand" they present to the public).

After they get in office, that's when I'll be critical 200% of their voting, bills, and political/personal actions.

For me a political figure is one of two things a Corporatist or a Humanist.

I vote for Humanists and when none are on the ballet I focus on trying to support social groups in my area instead.

I've never seen a rethugican or demloser in my life so far worth a damn. All seem to be corrupt corporatists.

The republicans went straight into the toilet after Ike.

For me I don't think of a particular signal but rather an end of an era. We've been going downhill steadily since we landed on the moon. I can remember as a kid that being an American was something to be proud of as we were loved (for the most part) around the world.

Now we are a laughing stock with Trump as president. Still... The best place to live I think... Or at least one of them.

Too young to remember Ike, but his speech is a good possible starting point. He wanted to push a civil rights bill that was far more sweeping than LBJ. Imagine if he had done so.