We Asked When America’s Decline Began… And Got the Most ONE-SIDED Response in Our History! (Plus JFK, Prayer in Schools, and the Dates That Keep Coming Up)
THE QUESTION THAT UNLEASHED UNIFIED RAGE
“The moment America started going downhill was _____?”
We’ve asked a lot of divisive questions. We’ve seen plenty of political warfare in comment sections. Trump vs. Biden. Democrats vs. Republicans. Social issues. Economic policy.
But nothing—NOTHING—prepared us for the sheer DOMINANCE of one answer in this thread.
Out of 150+ responses, roughly 60-70% gave the SAME ANSWER.
Not Trump. Not Biden. Not Reagan or Clinton or any recent president. Not policy decisions or cultural shifts or economic changes.
OBAMA.
Mentioned by name over 50 times. “Obama,” “Obummer,” “Obuma,” “Oh-Bummer,” “Obutthead,” “OBOZO,” “King Obama,” and every creative variation you can imagine.
We’ve never seen consensus like this. Even on our most one-sided questions, we usually get 60-40 splits at best. Different perspectives. Varying opinions. Some pushback.
This was closer to 70-30, all pointing at one man as the moment everything went wrong.
THE OBAMA AVALANCHE
The Simple “Obama” Declarations
“Obama” appeared as a single-word answer at least 20 times. Just the name. Nothing else. Like it’s so obvious it needs no explanation.
“OBAMA” in all caps multiple times, adding emphasis to the certainty.
“Obama being elected” – the election itself as the turning point.
“When Obama was elected” – same sentiment, slightly different phrasing.
“When Obama took office” – not the election, but the actual assumption of power.
“The election of Obama” – formal and final.
“2008” mentioned 5+ times – Obama’s election year, the specific moment everything changed.
“2009” mentioned twice – when he actually took office and the decline began.
At least 50 responses directly blamed Obama’s presidency for America’s decline. Not his healthcare policy. Not his foreign policy decisions. Not specific economic choices or Supreme Court nominations.
Just OBAMA. His very existence as president. His two terms in office as the fundamental wrong turn America took.
The simplicity of these responses is striking. No nuance. No specifics. Just a name that represents everything they think went wrong.
The Creative Obama Variations
When you hate someone enough, you don’t even use their real name anymore. You create nicknames that drip with contempt.
“Obummer” showed up at least 3 times. A play on “bummer” – suggesting his presidency was a disappointment, a letdown, a bad time.
“obamy” – deliberate misspelling showing disrespect through refusing to even spell the name correctly.
“obutthead” – juvenile but effective. Reducing a president to a Beavis and Butthead insult.
“OBOZO” – comparing him to a clown. Nothing he did was serious or legitimate.
“Oh-Bummer” – another variation on the disappointment theme.
“obumer” – more misspelling as disrespect.
“King Obama” – suggesting he ruled rather than governed. Acting like royalty rather than an elected president.
“Racist Obama” – flipping the script, claiming the first Black president was actually the racist one.
“Barack Hussain Obama” – using his full name with middle name emphasized. This was always code during his presidency, highlighting his “foreign-sounding” name.
“BHO” and “BO” – reducing him to initials, erasing his identity to just letters.
The creativity in these nicknames reveals something important. This isn’t just political disagreement. This is personal. Deep. Visceral. The kind of hatred that creates an entire vocabulary of contempt.
The Specific Obama Accusations
But some people didn’t stop at names. They got specific about why Obama represented America’s downfall.
“Obama the great divider” appeared twice. The claim that before Obama, America was more united. He created racial tension where none existed. He divided Americans by race, class, and politics. This is a common conservative narrative – that Obama’s presidency made race relations worse, not better.
“When Obama and his crooked democrats” – suggesting corruption. Criminality. A cabal working against American interests.
“When non true Americans got into office” – the birther movement lives. The claim that Obama wasn’t really American. Wasn’t legitimate. Shouldn’t have been there at all.
“Barack Hussain Obama and the rotten Democrats stole the 2008 election and put a foreigner in the White House” – here’s the full conspiracy. He didn’t win legitimately. He’s foreign. The election was stolen. Everything about his presidency was illegitimate from day one.
“When obama, and Kenyan born was illegally elected president” – the birther claim explicit. Born in Kenya, not Hawaii. Not a natural-born citizen. The presidency itself was unconstitutional.
“Obama scammed his Muslim ass into the White House” – combining the Muslim conspiracy with fraud. He tricked America into electing him while hiding his true religion.
“Obama being Muslim !!” – just the accusation, stated as fact.
These responses reveal something darker than policy disagreement. For many respondents, Obama’s presidency wasn’t just bad governance. It was ILLEGITIMATE.
He wasn’t supposed to be president. He wasn’t qualified. He wasn’t American. He wasn’t Christian. Every decision he made was therefore invalid because he had no right to make them.
This is conspiracy thinking that goes beyond politics into questioning the basic legitimacy of American democracy.
The Explicitly Racist Response
And then there’s this one: “When they put a foreigner **** in the white house”
We need to acknowledge it directly. This person used the actual N-word. Not a euphemism. Not a dog whistle. The actual slur.
This reveals that for SOME Americans – maybe not most, but some – Obama’s presidency represents not political change but racial threat. The first Black president wasn’t progress. It was invasion. Demographic replacement. The wrong kind of person in power.
This is racism, plain and simple. And it’s hiding behind political language in many of the other responses. The “foreigner” claims. The “Muslim” accusations. The birther conspiracy. These are often racial resentment dressed up as political objection.
THE JFK ASSASSINATION FACTION
November 22, 1963
While Obama dominated the responses, a distinct second group pointed to a completely different moment: JFK’s assassination.
“When JFK was killed” – simple and direct. The murder of a president as the turning point.
“The year 1963” – not specifying JFK, but everyone knows what happened that year.
“November 22 1963” – the exact date. This person knows it by heart.
“When they covered up Kennedy assignation” – not just the killing, but the cover-up. The conspiracy that followed mattered as much as the death itself.
“When when they killed president Kennedy” – the repetition of “when” shows the emotion behind it.
“When John Kennedy was killed he was killed by the CIA because what he was about to expose” – specific conspiracy theory. The CIA did it. Kennedy was going to reveal something dangerous. They silenced him.
“The CIA killing JFK AND getting away with it” – emphasis on the impunity. They murdered a president and faced no consequences.
“JFK being assassinated by socialist LBJ” – blaming Lyndon Johnson directly. The vice president orchestrated the murder to take power.
“Jfk death” – two words capturing national tragedy.
At least 10 responses pointed to JFK’s assassination as the moment America’s trajectory fundamentally changed.
Why does JFK’s death resonate as a turning point? Because it represented the end of American innocence. Before November 1963, Americans trusted their government. After, conspiracy thinking became mainstream.
JFK was young, charismatic, represented hope and change. His widow’s blood-stained pink suit became the symbol of innocence destroyed. His children saluting the coffin broke the nation’s heart.
And then the conspiracy theories began. The magic bullet. The grassy knoll. Jack Ruby silencing Oswald. The Warren Commission cover-up. For millions of Americans, the government’s official story never made sense.
If the government would lie about JFK’s assassination, what else would they lie about? That question poisoned trust in institutions for generations.
Some see it as simply tragic loss. Others see it as a coup, a deep state operation, the moment when shadowy forces took control of America and democracy became theater.
One person even said “The Day Lincoln was shot!” – wrong assassination, but capturing that same sense that killing a president marked a point of no return.
The Conspiracy Element
The JFK responses aren’t just about a president dying. Presidents have died before. William McKinley was assassinated. Nobody points to 1901 as America’s downfall.
JFK is different because of the CONSPIRACY. The belief that powerful forces murdered him and got away with it. That his death wasn’t random violence but calculated coup.
“When John Kennedy was killed he was killed by the CIA because what he was about to expose” – this commenter believes Kennedy discovered something dangerous. He was about to reveal it. The CIA couldn’t let that happen. So they killed him.
What was he about to expose? Depends who you ask. Secret government programs. Alien contact. Federal Reserve corruption. Deep state operations. Every conspiracy theory has its version.
“JFK being assassinated by socialist LBJ” – this takes a different angle. Lyndon Johnson wanted power. He was a socialist (by this person’s definition). He orchestrated Kennedy’s murder to take the presidency and implement his Great Society programs.
This is the right-wing conspiracy version. LBJ expanded government massively. Medicare, Medicaid, civil rights legislation, the War on Poverty. For conservatives who oppose these programs, LBJ’s presidency represents big government overreach. And if he killed Kennedy to get there? That explains everything.
The JFK assassination matters because it created permanent distrust. Before 1963, most Americans trusted government explanations. After, conspiracy thinking became normal. If they’d lie about this, they’d lie about anything.
THE “PRAYER IN SCHOOLS” CONTINGENT
God Removed From Public Life
Another distinct faction blamed not a political figure but a cultural shift: removing prayer from public schools.
“When they stop prayer in school” – simple cause and effect. Prayer stopped, America declined.
“When they took prayers out of school” – stolen, not given up voluntarily.
“When they took prayers and Bible out our schools” – not just prayer, but Bible reading too.
“Stopped prayer and pledge of allegiance in school” – combining two separate issues. The Pledge stayed, but “under God” became controversial.
“When they took GOD and the Bible put of the schools!” – all caps GOD shows the emphasis. This isn’t about policy, it’s about spiritual warfare.
“Took God out of school a school punishment and gave the kids rights” – this one’s revealing. Removing corporal punishment and giving children rights is presented as negative. The old days when teachers could hit students and lead prayer were better.
At least 6 responses blamed removing prayer from schools for America’s decline.
The Supreme Court cases happened in 1962 and 1963. Engel v. Vitale (1962) banned official prayer in public schools. Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) banned mandatory Bible reading.
For religious conservatives, these decisions marked the beginning of America’s moral decline. A nation founded on Christian principles was removing God from education. Without prayer and Bible teaching, children lost moral foundation.
What followed? They’d say: rising crime, drug use, teen pregnancy, school shootings, moral decay. All because God was removed from schools.
One person got specific: “Madelyn Murry O’hair stop the Lords prayer and other Cristian teachings in public schools”
Madalyn Murray O’Hair was the atheist activist whose lawsuit led to the ban on mandatory Bible reading. For religious conservatives, she’s a villain who damaged America irreparably. Her case, combined with the prayer decisions, represent secular forces attacking Christian America.
The Religious Decline Narrative
These responses fit into a broader narrative about American decline: the secularization story.
America was founded as a Christian nation (they’d argue). The Founding Fathers were Christians. The Constitution reflects Christian principles. Schools taught Christian values. That was America at its best.
Then came the 1960s. Prayer removed from schools. Bible reading banned. The sexual revolution. Drugs. Rock and roll. Feminism challenging traditional family structures. Civil rights challenging white Christian dominance (though they wouldn’t phrase it that way).
Each change moved America further from its Christian foundation. And as America became more secular, it became more chaotic. More immoral. More violent. More confused about basic truths.
The solution? Return to Christian principles. Put prayer back in schools. Teach the Bible. Return to traditional moral values. Make America Christian again.
This narrative ignores that the Founders specifically separated church and state. That the Constitution prohibits religious tests for office. That the First Amendment protects religious freedom, including freedom FROM religion.
But for believers in this narrative, none of that matters. America was Christian, became secular, and declined. The correlation is obvious. The causation seems clear.
THE TRUMP DIVISION
Trump as Turning Point (Negative)
While Obama dominated the responses, Trump had his critics too. Though noticeably fewer.
“When Trump was back in office” – his second term as the problem, suggesting his first was bad but survivable.
“WHEN TRUMP WAS INAUGURATED” – the moment he took power, everything changed.
“Trump came into the presidency” – his entry into politics period, not specific policies.
“Electing trump The first time” – 2016 as the wrong turn.
“The day Trump came into office” – January 20, 2017 marked the beginning of decline.
“Trump became president” – simple statement of cause.
“The elections of DJ trump, both times” – both 2016 and 2024 were mistakes.
“When Trump got in” – casual phrasing for historical catastrophe.
“The orange man took over” – using the derisive nickname to show contempt.
“Trump worst president ever” – superlative condemnation.
“When d j trump was elected the first time and it got even worse the second time” – escalating disaster.
“When Felon 47 was elected” – referencing his criminal convictions as disqualifying.
“When people elected an orange felon to run the country” – combining the nickname with criminal status.
“WHEN TRUMP CAME ON THE SEEN WITH HIS HATRED FOR OBAMA” – interesting take. Not Trump’s policies, but his obsession with undoing Obama’s legacy. His birther conspiracy. His determination to erase everything Obama did. That obsession as the toxic force.
At least 15 responses blamed Trump for America’s decline.
But notice: that’s much fewer than Obama. And the Trump criticism came from a smaller, more isolated group. The Obama criticism dominated the entire thread, setting the tone. The Trump criticism felt like scattered resistance.
Why Fewer Blamed Trump
This is revealing. The question was open-ended. Anyone could answer anything. Yet Trump got maybe a quarter of the responses Obama got.
Possible explanations:
Audience composition: This Facebook group skews conservative. More conservatives means more Obama hate, less Trump hate.
Recency bias working backwards: Trump’s presidency is recent. Maybe it doesn’t feel “historical” enough yet to mark a turning point. Obama’s presidency (2009-2017) has had more time to be judged.
Obama broke something Trump benefited from: For conservatives, Obama created the conditions that made Trump possible. Obama was the disease, Trump was the symptom (or the cure, depending on your view). So even Trump critics might trace the root problem to Obama.
Different baseline expectations: People who hate Trump think he damaged democracy and norms. But they might see that damage as recent and potentially reversible. Obama’s critics see his presidency as fundamentally transforming America in ways that can’t be undone.
Whatever the reason, the disparity is stark. Obama dominated. Trump got mentioned but didn’t dominate.
The Anti-MAGA Response
One person took a different angle: “WEN PEOPLE STARTED WEARING MAGA HATS !!!!!”
Five exclamation points to emphasize the point. And all caps “WEN” (when) showing the intensity.
This person sees the MAGA movement itself—not just Trump the individual—as the problem. The red hats became symbols of something toxic. Worn proudly by people embracing nationalism, grievance, and anger.
When MAGA hats appeared at rallies, on streets, in stores, America changed. The hat became tribal marker. Dividing Americans into those who wear it and those who fear it.
For this commenter, THAT was the turning point. Not a policy or president. But a cultural symbol that represented and accelerated American division.
THE CLINTON ERA BLAME
The 1990s Moral Collapse
The Clintons got their share of blame too, though less than Obama or Trump.
“When Clinton took office” – 1993 as the starting point.
“With the election of Bill Clinton” – his election itself as the wrong turn.
“When the Clinton’s were elected” – plural, suggesting Hillary’s role too.
“Clinton” – just the name, speaking volumes.
“When Clinton infested the White House” – strong language. Not “entered” or “occupied” but “infested,” like vermin or disease.
“When Bill Clinton took the WH. That was the end of morals” – this is the key accusation.
At least 6 responses blamed the Clintons for starting America’s decline in the 1990s.
The “end of morals” comment reveals what bothers Clinton critics most. Not NAFTA (though that comes up elsewhere). Not “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” or welfare reform or healthcare attempts.
The Lewinsky scandal. Lying under oath. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” The blue dress. The impeachment. The Senate acquittal.
For moral conservatives, Clinton’s behavior and the nation’s response marked a turning point. A president lied about sex and faced no real consequences. His approval ratings went UP during impeachment. Americans didn’t care about presidential character anymore.
After Clinton, personal morality stopped mattering for presidents. His defenders said “it’s just about sex.” His critics said “he lied under oath and abused his power.” The nation split.
And once character stopped mattering, everything was permitted. Which is how (critics would say) we eventually got Trump.
Clinton’s presidency also saw other cultural shifts. The internet going mainstream. Columbine. Globalization accelerating. NAFTA moving manufacturing overseas. Crime bills targeting Black communities. The seeds of 2008’s financial crisis being planted through deregulation.
But for many conservatives, it comes back to the sex scandal and the moral rot it represented.
THE BIDEN BLAME
The Border Obsession
Biden got surprisingly few mentions given current events.
“When Biden was elected!!!” – triple exclamation points showing frustration.
“Electing Biden” – simple cause and effect.
“When Joe Biden took office” – January 2021 as turning point.
“Biden s open border” – the specific policy failure.
“When Joe opened the border” – personal blame, like he personally unlocked a gate.
At least 5 responses blamed Biden, though far fewer than Obama or even Trump.
Why so few Biden mentions? The question asked about when America started going downhill. For conservatives who hate Biden, America was already declining before he took office. He didn’t start the decline—he continued or accelerated it.
Notice that Obama critics see 2008 as the START of decline. Trump critics see 2016 as the START. Biden gets blamed for making things worse, but not for starting the trend.
The border focus is revealing though. For Biden critics, immigration policy is THE defining issue. “When Joe opened the border” frames it as intentional destruction. Not failed policy or competing priorities, but deliberate opening of America to invasion.
This ties into the broader narrative among conservatives: Democrats want open borders to import voters, change demographics, and maintain power. Biden’s immigration policy isn’t incompetence—it’s strategy.
One commenter got specific: “When Joe opened the border. He completely destroyed America at that moment. His sole purpose was to rigg the election. What a POS! It’s called Treason!”
Destroyed America. Rigged elections. Treason. These aren’t policy critiques. These are accusations of intentional destruction of the country.
THE REAGAN CRITICISM
The Economic Pivot
Reagan blame came from a different direction—the left.
“When Ronald Reagan took office” – 1981 as the economic turning point.
“Electing reagon” – misspelled but clear.
“Reagan” – one word carrying decades of grievance.
“Reagan and REAGANOMICS trickle down economics” – the specific policy critique.
Four responses blamed Reagan for starting America’s economic decline through “trickle down” policies that benefited the wealthy while hollowing out the middle class.
This is the LEFT’s version of America’s downfall story. Reagan broke the labor movement, starting with firing air traffic controllers. He slashed taxes on the wealthy while cutting social programs for the poor. He deregulated industries, leading to monopolies and crashes. He preached “government is the problem,” undermining faith in public institutions.
“Trickle down economics” promised that cutting taxes on the wealthy would benefit everyone. The rich would invest. Businesses would expand. Jobs would be created. Wages would rise. Wealth would “trickle down” to the middle class.
It didn’t happen. The wealthy got wealthier. The middle class stagnated. Inequality exploded. Real wages for workers flatlined while productivity soared. The gap between CEO pay and worker pay went from 20-to-1 to 300-to-1.
Reagan’s presidency, in this narrative, began the era where capital won and labor lost. Where corporations got tax breaks while infrastructure crumbled. Where wealth concentrated at the top while the middle class shrunk.
One commenter got even more specific: “Lewis Powell memo Reagan and REAGANOMICS trickle down economics”
The Powell Memo (1971) was a strategy document for business to reclaim political power from labor and progressive movements. It advocated for corporate lobbying, think tanks, and political influence. Reagan’s presidency implemented this vision.
For progressive critics, this was the REAL turning point. Not culture wars or prayers in schools. Economic policy that deliberately shifted wealth upward and power toward corporations.
THE HISTORICAL DEEP CUTS
Going Way, Way Back
Some people went much further back than recent presidencies.
“1776” – America’s founding was the mistake? This is either trolling or a fundamental rejection of America itself. Maybe an anarchist? Hard to say.
“1828” mentioned twice – This was Andrew Jackson’s presidency. The Trail of Tears. The Second Bank controversy. The “corrupt bargain” that preceded it. For some, Jackson’s populism and Indian removal marked America’s moral collapse.
“1850” – Pre-Civil War era. The Compromise of 1850 tried to balance slave and free states. The Fugitive Slave Act. Tensions rising toward inevitable conflict. Maybe this person sees slavery and its political fallout as America’s original sin still unresolved.
“The Day Lincoln was shot!” – This is actually 1865, not 1963, but shows the pattern. Lincoln’s assassination ended Reconstruction possibilities. Andrew Johnson reversed many of Lincoln’s policies. The South was allowed to implement Black Codes and Jim Crow. Racial justice was delayed a century.
Mid-20th Century Picks
“Late sixties” – Cultural revolution. Vietnam War protests. Civil rights movement backlash. Assassinations of MLK and RFK. Riots in cities. The old order collapsing.
“LBJ years” and “Lyndon B Johnson” – Johnson’s Great Society programs. Medicare and Medicaid. The War on Poverty. Massive expansion of government. Civil rights legislation. For conservatives, this was government overreach that created dependency.
“When Johnson was sworn in” – After JFK’s assassination. This person might see Johnson as illegitimate or his presidency as cursed from the start.
“Nixon” – Watergate destroyed trust in government. Or maybe it was opening relations with China, which eventually led to manufacturing leaving. Or maybe the Southern Strategy that realigned politics around race.
“When Nixon took office!!!” – specifically his presidency as the problem, not just him as person.
Specific Years That Stand Out
“1960” – Right before JFK, cultural shifts beginning. The election itself (Kennedy vs. Nixon) marked something.
“1973” – Multiple significant events. Oil crisis. Roe v. Wade. End of Vietnam War. Watergate hearings. Each could represent a turning point.
“1988” – George H.W. Bush elected. Cold War ending. Economic policies continuing Reagan’s direction.
“1991 the salaries for government representatives went over $100,000 a year. And they have screwed the American people, and sold us out for big corporate profits ever since” – This is incredibly specific. The moment politician pay crossed six figures, they stopped representing ordinary people and started serving corporate interests. When being in Congress became lucrative, corruption became inevitable.
This critique cuts across party lines. Both Republicans and Democrats became wealthy from office. Both parties serve donors over constituents. The $100,000 salary threshold marked the transition from public service to personal enrichment.
THE STRUCTURAL AND POLICY CRITIQUES
Trade and Economics
Some people focused not on personalities but on specific policy decisions.
“When Nafta was started” and “Nafda” – The North American Free Trade Agreement (1994). Opened trade with Mexico and Canada. Proponents said it would create jobs and growth. Critics said it would offshore manufacturing.
Critics were right. NAFTA made it easy for companies to move factories to Mexico where labor was cheaper. Entire industries left. Factory towns died. The Rust Belt rusted.
“Having Manufacturing sent to China” – Not a single policy but a process. China joined WTO in 2001. Trade normalized. Companies moved production to take advantage of cheap labor. “Made in China” became ubiquitous.
American consumers got cheaper goods. American workers lost jobs. The trade-off seemed worth it to economists and politicians. To laid-off factory workers, it was betrayal.
“When bill Clinton and the rich sold us out to China” – Blaming Clinton specifically for normalizing trade relations with China. The “sold us out” language suggests treason. Trading American workers’ livelihoods for… what? Corporate profits? Political donations from businesses benefiting from cheap Chinese labor?
Government Corruption and Overreach
“When the government took over” – vague but powerful. The sense that government has become all-encompassing, controlling rather than serving.
“When our government sold America out” – betrayal by officials we elected to protect us.
“When the federal reserve hijacked our country” – The Federal Reserve (created 1913) as illegitimate seizure of economic control by bankers.
“In 1991 the salaries for government representatives went over $100,000 a year. And they have screwed the American people” – We covered this above, but it bears repeating. This person tracked the EXACT moment when public service became personal enrichment.
Cultural and Social Shifts
“When the left started turning socialist” – Socialism as inherently un-American. The left abandoning liberal capitalism for collectivism.
“Liberalism being spread everywhere” – Progressive ideology as infection spreading through institutions, media, education.
“When they let people get away with throwing water on police” – Specific incident representing broader disrespect for law enforcement.
“When they let Muslims in” – Immigration as invasion. Religious pluralism as weakness.
These critiques reveal conservative anxieties about cultural change overwhelming traditional American identity.
THE THOUGHTFUL STRUCTURAL CRITIQUES
A few responses went deeper than blaming individuals.
“When our government sold America out and we became less and less self sufficient” – This identifies a real trend. America used to produce what it consumed. Food, energy, manufactured goods. Now we import massively. That dependence creates vulnerability.
“About 20 years ago or more. When the people, who ran the government cared more about enriching themselves then taking care of the people. Are protecting constitution. They shipped all our jobs and our future is overseas” – This nails several problems. Government officials getting rich. Jobs offshored. Constitutional principles ignored. Not blaming one party or person, but a systemic shift toward corruption.
“When Americans started putting their political views before their Christian beliefs that’s when things went wrong. The moment we set aside our Christian teachings just to align with our politics, we lost our way” – This is actually thoughtful. Politics becoming religion. Tribal loyalty overriding moral principles. Christians defending behavior they’d condemn in opponents because “their side” is doing it.
“Cell phones added greatly to the down hill slide. Lazy, rotten, disrespectful children allowed to fester. Inflation, greed, business ethics” – Blaming technology for social breakdown. Smartphones destroying attention spans. Children losing discipline. Corporate greed going unchecked.
“When people refused to remove the government including all of Congress which is the government because the people of this country are weak, pathetic, and way too patriotic but refuse to do anything” – This is angry populism, but there’s truth here. Americans complain endlessly but vote for the same people. Wave flags while the country crumbles. Patriotism as substitute for action.
THE VILE AND RACIST RESPONSES
We documented the N-word response earlier, but there’s more ugliness:
“DOG EATER BECAME PRESIDENT” – Racist attack suggesting Obama ate dogs, based on a childhood passage from his book about trying dog meat in Indonesia.
“OBAMA started bringing Muslims and others here to work for our Government. RASSIST Obama and his big time RASSIST Manly wife ruined America. They hate white people big time” – Multiple conspiracies here. Obama importing Muslims. Michelle Obama being trans (“Manly wife”). Both Obamas hating white people and seeking revenge.
“When they put a foreigner ***** in the white house” – We already covered this, but its existence matters.
“Marxist and racial divider Obama” – Combining economic and racial accusations.
“When they let Muslims in” – Religious discrimination presented as policy preference.
“When Obama and Kenyan born was illegally elected president” – Birther conspiracy.
These aren’t political disagreements. These are racist and bigoted attacks using Obama’s presidency as justification.
The birther conspiracy, Muslim accusations, questions about Michelle’s gender, claims about hating white people—these reveal that for SOME respondents, Obama’s presidency represents demographic threat, not policy failure.
A Black man with an African name and middle name “Hussein” shouldn’t have been president. His wife, a strong Black woman, threatens traditional gender and racial hierarchies. His presidency proved America was changing in ways these people can’t accept.
This is racism. And it’s mixed in with legitimate policy critiques in ways that make them hard to separate. Which is how racism often works—hiding behind “acceptable” political objections while the real issue is race.
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY REVEALS
Obama Broke Something Fundamental
Whether you love or hate Obama, his presidency clearly represents a BREAKING POINT for millions of Americans.
For his supporters, he represented hope and change. Breaking the ultimate racial barrier. Expanding healthcare. Recovering from economic crisis. Leading with dignity and competence.
For his detractors—at least those in this thread—he represented something much darker. Racial change they couldn’t accept. Political shifts they viewed as un-American. Cultural changes they saw as threatening. Economic policies they blamed for continued stagnation. A fundamental transformation of America they neither wanted nor voted for.
The sheer VOLUME of Obama responses—over 50 out of 150+, dominating the entire conversation—shows his presidency was uniquely divisive. More divisive than Trump’s in some ways, because Trump’s presidency felt like a reaction to Obama’s. For many conservatives, Trump was necessary BECAUSE of what Obama did.
The Consensus That Doesn’t Actually Exist
Despite 60-70% of THIS thread blaming Obama, this ISN’T actually national consensus. It’s one faction that’s VERY LOUD and VERY convinced, drowning out smaller groups.
The thread composition matters. Facebook groups attract like-minded people. This particular group clearly skews conservative. Ask the same question in a progressive group and you’d get overwhelming Trump/Reagan blame with little Obama criticism.
So while it looks like consensus, it’s actually tribal echo chamber. One perspective dominating because that’s who showed up to answer.
The actual American population is split very differently. Obama won two elections. He left office with reasonable approval ratings. Millions of Americans view his presidency positively.
But in this space, on this day, answering this question, Obama critics dominated completely.
The Nostalgia for Different Eras
Every group is nostalgic for a different “before.”
People who blame Obama are nostalgic for pre-2008 America. Before the first Black president. Before Obamacare. Before gay marriage was legalized. Before trans issues entered mainstream discourse. Before they felt their America was slipping away.
People who blame JFK’s assassination are nostalgic for pre-1963 America. Before conspiracy thinking went mainstream. Before trust in government collapsed. Before presidential assassination proved even the highest office offered no safety.
People who blame prayer removal are nostalgic for pre-1962 America. Before God was “kicked out” of schools. Before secular forces dominated public life. Before Christian supremacy was challenged.
People who blame Trump are nostalgic for pre-2016 America. Before vulgar populism. Before daily presidential chaos. Before norms collapsed and outrage became constant.
People who blame Reagan are nostalgic for pre-1980 America. Before unions were broken. Before wealth concentrated at the top. Before trickle-down economics destroyed the middle class.
Everyone thinks there was a BEFORE time when America was better. They just can’t agree on when BEFORE was. Or what made it better. Or whether it was actually better or just better for THEM.
The Racism Problem We Can’t Ignore
Some responses were explicitly racist. The N-word. “Dog eater.” “Foreigner ****.” Birther conspiracies. Muslim accusations as if that’s disqualifying.
For SOME people—not all, but some—Obama’s presidency represents demographic change they view as existential threat. His election proved America was changing. Getting less white. Less Christian. Less “American” as they define it.
His presidency accelerated cultural changes already happening. But to people uncomfortable with those changes, he became the symbol and cause. If he hadn’t been elected, maybe gay marriage wouldn’t have been legalized. Maybe trans issues wouldn’t have gone mainstream. Maybe demographic change would have slowed.
That’s not true, of course. Cultural change was happening regardless. Obama was symptom and symbol, not cause. But symbols matter. And for racial conservatives, Obama symbolized everything they feared about America’s future.
That’s not policy critique. That’s racial anxiety. And it’s mixed throughout these responses in ways that make them impossible to fully separate.
THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR
If you ask when America started declining, you get WILDLY different answers based on political tribe.
Conservative Republicans: Obama’s election (2008)
Progressive Democrats: Trump’s election (2016) or Reagan’s presidency (1980s)
Religious conservatives: Prayer removal from schools (1962-1963)
Conspiracy theorists: JFK assassination (1963)
Economic populists (left and right): NAFTA (1994), China trade normalization (2001)
Moderates/Independents: Various answers, no consensus
The ONLY thing Americans agree on is that America IS in decline. We just can’t agree on when it started, why it happened, or who’s responsible.
And that inability to agree on basic facts about recent history? THAT might be the actual decline everyone’s sensing but can’t articulate.
You Can’t Fix What You Can’t Diagnose
Here’s the real problem with all these responses. If you can’t agree on when the decline started, you can’t agree on solutions.
If the problem is Obama, the solution is undoing his legacy. If the problem is Trump, the solution is defending Obama’s legacy. If the problem is prayer removal, the solution is returning God to schools. If the problem is Reagan’s economics, the solution is taxing the rich and empowering labor.
These are OPPOSITE solutions. They can’t all be right. Implementing one makes another group think you’re making things worse.
So we’re stuck in permanent conflict where each “solution” feels like catastrophe to the other side. Every election becomes existential because we can’t agree on what we’re trying to fix.
The Fracture Itself Is the Problem
Maybe America’s decline isn’t about any single policy or president or cultural shift.
Maybe the decline IS the fracture. The inability to agree on shared reality. The sorting into tribes that view each other as enemies rather than opponents. The conviction that the other side isn’t just wrong but evil, stupid, or deliberately destroying the country.
When 50+ people say “Obama” and 15 say “Trump” and 10 say “JFK” and 6 say “prayer removal,” they’re not describing the same country. They’re living in different realities with different histories, different villains, different facts.
That fragmentation—the collapse of shared American narrative—might be the actual crisis. Not any single turning point in history, but the loss of ability to agree on what that history even is.
THE FINAL VERDICT
When did America start going downhill according to this thread?
The dominant answer, by overwhelming majority: Obama’s election in 2008.
But significant minorities blame:
- JFK’s assassination (1963)
- Prayer removal from schools (1962-1963)
- Clinton presidency (1990s)
- Trump presidency (2016+)
- Reagan presidency (1980s)
- Various trade deals and specific policies
The only actual consensus is that America IS declining. Everything else is tribal warfare over who to blame and what to fix.
And that inability to agree on when, why, or how America went wrong?
That fracture might be the actual decline everyone’s arguing about.
When do YOU think America started declining? Was it Obama like 50+ people said? JFK’s death? Prayer in schools? Trump? Reagan? Or is the whole premise wrong—maybe America isn’t declining, just changing in ways that make different people uncomfortable?
Americans who answered this question revealed the deepest divide we’ve documented. Over 50 responses blamed Obama’s presidency for everything. Some criticized policies. Others made explicitly racist attacks. The consensus among one faction was overwhelming. But that’s not national consensus—it’s one tribe shouting while other tribes blame Trump, Reagan, Clinton, JFK’s death, or cultural shifts. The only thing Americans agree on is that something is broken. But with no agreement on what broke, when it broke, who broke it, or how to fix it, we’re paralyzed. Each side implements “solutions” the other side views as making things worse. That deadlock—the inability to agree on shared reality about recent history—might be America’s actual decline. Not any single moment or decision, but the fracturing itself. The loss of shared narrative. The sorting into tribes that can’t even agree on basic facts. That’s not political disagreement. That’s national crisis.
Michael (Mike) Davis is an experienced writer and freelance stylist specializing in men's grooming, skincare, hairstyles, and fashion.
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