I think a big difference is maturity, and accepting that their generation (boomers for example) are a dying age group who is losing power. Happens with every generation, and weirdly it sucks in people of younger generations too who think they're in the same boat as those in charge. (I.e., if you're between 22-35, you really haven't experienced the same things as those 35-70, so quit acting like you know more).
I didn't like the escalation of the wars under Obama, I didn't like the drone use under him (tho I'd rather lose a drone than a pilot), and I didn't like the borderline meh presidency of his.
I didn't vote for him in 12.
But here's the difference that I see (there's tons, but I'm boiling it down to a major difference).
Hate.
No, not "I hate Trump" hate, but the kind of hate that one uses to gain power. Hatred of the other.
Yes, there have always been a little bit of an odd bird group of liberals out there, who are ultra PC, ultra "you can't do that" sorta thing, but the thing is, they were a very small group. Most of the rest of us just ignored them because they don't do shit in the long run.
But you look at the vitriol from the right/conservatives now-a-days, it's full of bullying, prejudice, racism, condescending talk, unearned arrogance and hypocrisy. And it's not just a small group, it's taken over the party as a whole.
If you were to go back in time 30 years ago, to about the time when Clinton was running against GB1, and you were to ask Republicans how they'd feel about a candidate who flaunted his "wealth", dodged the draft, had to pay off more than 1 woman for reasons of a sexual nature, was a phony religious person, loved dictators, was using the office to make money, made fun of people with disabilities, bragged about how he can sexually assault women *because* he's rich and famous, had temper tantrums on a regular basis, wouldn't hold press conferences, could barely carry on an adult conversation and called his opponents derisive nicknames, they'd probably all refuse to support him let alone say he was one of their own.
But because of the hate that has been cultivated by conservatives in power, we're being told to no longer care about our fellow man, or respect people for having a different opinion, and that talking crudely or with racist undertones is not only expected, it a sign of power.
It's like the 1950's again.