Americans agree on this much: They are disgusted with politics.
They look toward Washington and see a broken federal government, a place where politicians seem more interested in self-preservation than We the People. Things don't seem much better in state capitals, and, who knows? Lead-tainted water may be pouring out of their kitchen faucet next.
Yet Americans say they still believe in America, the experiment in democracy that the founders described as a place where the government should protect the rights of ordinary people to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There's something at the core of America they long for, even if it's hard to define and seems distant in 2016.
Donald Trump proclaims he will "make America great again.'' Hillary Clinton counters that America "has never stopped being great.'' But what does that even mean? And who gets to define greatness? A billionaire businessman, a former secretary of state - or an aging musician in New Orleans?
What about the woman in Illinois who served in the U.S. military in Afghanistan?
Or the industrial worker worried about his job in Alabama?
The Associated Press interviewed a wide range of Americans to get a sense of what they think about the nation's greatness in the twilight of President Barrack Obama's eight years in office. The responses were as different as Americans themselves, yet a theme emerged: Compared to other nations, the United States is at least good, probably even great. But there's a lot of work to be done.
"Yes, America is great. It could be a lot better if the politicians weren't fighting each other all the time ...,'' said Rodney Kimball, a 74-year-old stove dealer in West Bethel, Maine. "The government needs to start doing what's right for the people.''
America is divided by political party, choice of media, income, gender, race or ethnic group, religious faith (or not), generation, geography and general outlook on the country's future. Pundits have proclaimed the electorate angry and wondered if the nation can ever recover the sense of unity experienced in the immediate aftermath of the al-Qaida attacks that took place 15 years ago this September.
The current dearth of confidence in the nation's politics and government is striking. Polling earlier this summer by the AP and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed just 13 percent of Americans are proud of the 2016 election, and 55 percent felt helpless. Only 10 percent had a great deal of confidence in the overall political system, with 4 percent had a great deal of confidence in Congress, 15 percent in the executive branch, and 24 percent in the Supreme Court. Few Americans see either political party as responsive to ordinary voters.
Although their America is still a land of shining seas, spacious skies and majestic mountains, many express a deep sense of disenchantment and uncertainty in their own lives.
"I think that America as an idea is one of the most beautiful ideas that the world has ever known. I think that American opportunity and ingenuity has built some of the most incredible technologies and innovations today,'' said Allene Swanson, 22, of Chicago. "And still, when I look around, I see a country that seems like it's crumbling. I see people who are hungry and broke and who are struggling a lot.''
For some, real success has always seemed out of reach. The old textile mill across town is a reminder, dark and empty because labor was cheaper in Southeast Asia or Latin America; the manufacturing plant on the outskirts of the city uses steel imported from China.
Employment has rebounded since the great recession, but wages are stagnant. Forget saving for a home - millions work more than one job just to keep food on the table and the lights on. What happened to the American dream?
That's what is being asked in places like inner city St. Louis, home to 32-year-old Craig House. He's lives with his grandmother in a sea of burned-out buildings and abandoned schools not far from a hip, trendy part of town.
"America has always been great, just not for me and my people. For us it's been the worst ever,'' said House, shaking his head as he takes a long drag off his cigarette. "People come from all over the world, Arabs own this, that. Black man don't own nothing.''