What's a thing that was 'normal' in politics at an earlier part of your life, but now seems absurd?

The closest thing I can think about is the regular election year debate over "what did you do during the war?" Where candidates would have to defend their draft deferments (or some other way of getting out of the war), or some other circumstance about Vietnam.

There was a hint of it in '12 when Romney talked about his missionary work instead of military service, but it's nothing like the way Bill Clinton was attacked for dodging the draft.