MAGA — Make America Great Again — shoots through everybody’s ears. It’s everywhere. And who can argue with all of us trying to make America great? USA! USA!

The big beef, which is causing a lot of grief for the GOP, is the “Again” part. So, when is the again?

1950s? Yes! We had won a second World War, our GI’s were coming home. The Greatest Generation made us great again. But Jim Crow laws were still stepping on minorities, women were still stuck in second-class status.

1960s? Sure! We passed Civil Rights legislation, we put a man on the Moon. But we were also mired in an unwinnable war in Vietnam.

’70s and ’80s? Ronald Reagan curbed inflation, got people back to work, fortified the Pentagon and ended the Cold War. But he ignored the AIDS epidemic and the LGBTQ+ community was still locked in the closet.

’20s? ’40s? 2000s? The beat goes on and on.

“A lot of bullshit has happened in America, but a lot of great things have, too,” declared Kevin Durant upon winning his third Olympic gold medal with the United States men’s basketball team earlier this summer in Paris.

The song goes something like, “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have …”

Remember when America held its president to a higher standard than all of us ordinary folk? Yes, he/she is a private citizen just like every other American. Yes, he/she has freedom of speech, and all the rights and privileges, including due process, all citizens enjoy.

But the America that should be made great again would not let a candidate get away with saying Mexico is sending rapists or mental patients or terrorists over the border. It would not let a candidate get away with sympathizing with yahoos at white supremacist rallies. An America that is great does not allow a candidate denigrate disabled workers.

An America that is great does not let a candidate mock and ridicule grieving Gold Star Families, even if the mother and father take him behind the woodshed in a convention speech — especially if they speak freely and take him behind said woodshed. There’s no need to tweet.

Seems some people, too many in fact, have forgotten that.

A great America would not tolerate a candidate blaming his opponent for the infidelities of her husband. And shaming her for those transgressions would be unconscionable.

There used to be a custom that the President of the United States would divest from his/her investment portfolio. Put it in a blind trust. There’s no law requiring it, but the leader of the free world would not even allow the perception of a conflict of interest.

They release their tax returns. Higher standard.

The president leading a great America would abide by the Emoluments Clause (no matter if it’s 100 years old), which states that the Executive shall not benefit personally from the office. So if the president owned a hotel across the street from the White House, he/she would actually discourage foreign diplomats from staying there, not charge them top dollar. He/she wouldn’t overcharge the government to house the Secret Service at their resort. Because he/she loves their country.

Does the president have to do that? Nope. But he/she has a higher standard for themselves — for this country. When they lose elections, they concede. Shake hands. Attend the inauguration. They walk away humble. They support their successor.

They don’t whine about it for the next four years.

This used to be simple stuff. That’s the shining beacon of a nation on a hill. That’s what makes America great. The United States does more than it has to. America leads the way, fills in the gaps, makes things happen. Greatness comes from going the extra mile — not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. That’s American exceptionalism.

Does it help our country to have a cheerleader at the top? Sure. Putting America first is great, but there’s a righteous way to do it. The American way is not a con. We have a reputation.

A great America would not let an ex-president abscond with classified documents and keep them at home for years. And lie about it. Wouldn’t matter if he/she could or could not declassify them. That would make it worse. Sensitive information remains sensitive no matter the stamp on the top of the doc.

What happened to the times when investigations — much less indictments or salacious sex scandals — were deal-breakers? Convictions? C’mon, man!

When did all this become acceptable? Let’s go back to when it wasn’t.

Now, our leader does not have to be squeaky clean. Nobody is. Politics is messy and a little slick willy greases the wheels. Rubbing elbows is an art in any deal.

But we should be able to check under the hood to make sure everything is kosher.

There’s no quick fixes, no magic wand in a truly great America. There’s only hard work. Sweat. Grinding it out in the trenches. You gotta put the time in to reap the righteous rewards we’re known for. Slow and steady wins the race.

That’s the type of old-fashioned way that gets the job done around here. We earn it. When we roll up our sleeves and do the work, great things are on the horizon.

Because they are. They still can be.

So before we can debate tax policy, before we can talk immigration, or discuss health care or crime or foreign aid, there’s a bar a president must rise above to lead this nation.

And it’s a great one.