You can blame this new era of mendacious take-the-gloves-off, pitbull, go-for-the-jugular, win-at-all-costs vitriol on the Clinton slime team - Paul Begala, James Carville, and Syd "Vicious" Blumenthal.
Unfortunately, I fear things will never be the same. There is no such thing as civility in politics anymore. We're becoming a Banana Republic.
Don't forget Algore with his attempted theft of the WH.