nasty and riddled with hyperbole and ad hominem attacks?
Or do you think perhaps the internet has influenced things in this direction through anonymity and the inability to get the reward for what your tongue has provoked?
Or could it be that our politicians have been that bad over the last few years?

Related Reading:

An Introduction to Political PhilosophyThe revised edition of this highly successful text provides a clear and accessible introduction to some of the most important questions of political philosophy. Organized around major issues, Wolff provides the structure that beginners need, while also introducing some distinctive ideas of his own.