Well, the turbulent sixties happened, for one. Then there was Watergate, Iran-Contragate and now Tailgate. Most of all, what happened was television. This much maligned medium transformed political discourse from carefully tailored bullshit into wild and wooly spectacle. It's getting harder each year to tell the actors from the people they portray.
Many people lament what is happening.
They long for the good old days when they didn't have to know what was really going down. I, for one, find all this circus rather refreshing, not to say amusing. Now, millions of people know it. I think this is progress. Sure, there is a long way still to go.