10 years ago the following issues were topical: the Tea Party wave had just crested, Obamacare, rabid birtherism and Obama's "Terrorist fist jab". It was the same polarization we're seeing today, only less intense as social media hadn't quite amassed the critical mass it has today.

edit - I looked it up and the "Terrorist fist jab" comment was made in 2008 - so 13 years ago

To be fair, the Internet was much more of a niche back then. Internet and technology have since become the nervous system of every economy and society in the developed world, so it's no wonder that they now reflects the predominant concerns (such as politics and governance) of the people it's connecting.