General Discussion

The world has changed since the late 60s. We have a president who never served in govt in any way. A president who is twice-divorced, cheated on his current wife, talks about grabbing pussy, mocked a disabled person on camera, defrauded people with his "university," and is profiting directly from the govt with his hotels.
Any one of these things would have been inconceivable in the 1960s, would have destroyed the career of any politician in the 1960s. These times are very, very, very different from the 1960s.

(Btw, I can think of an example that refutes your premise that taking the high road is effective: John Kerry. He stayed silent after having his valor in Vietnam questioned and mocked. No one admired him for taking the high road. Indeed, they thought it made him look weak.)