Funny you mention David Brooks, as he’s built a career around pining for imagined “good old days.” I think you do make a good point though that the political class itself is far more open about crass, invective-laden discourse than perhaps it once was, and that might be what @ucbalumnus was referring to (I was referring to general political discourse more broadly, not just that of politicians and their wonk pundits).
(I strongly recommend Chapo Trap House podcast to those who enjoy evisceration of pundits, haha)