High last time? You may be high now if you think 2016 was a "high road".
Clinton's camp used the most personal attacks in history, by FAR. Trump dominated the conversation because all people could do in response to him was talk about / down to him. Policy was a side show at best, hardly spoken of or whispered about. This isolated Democrats from the swing voters who were looking to hear something positive about how their vote would improve their lives. That message was not received because of all the hatred and negativity coming from people. The reaction to Trump is what MADE Trump. The 24/7 coverage and polarization gave him the election.
If there is an argument to be made for the "high road" it's that it was NOT taken last time. Plus, going low drives polarization. It forces people to choose sides. Have you set them up, prior, to make a good choice? Thankfully Trump, being Trump, may be all the prep we need to ensure victory in the coming elections. I hope people can see through him now that he is an incumbent and utterly incompetent and contemptible in his behavior. I hope the board is set, because this renewed fervor of venom has the pieces in motion to determine our future, and I'll bet there is no stopping this moment in history where people damn decorum and push against each other, to whatever end.
Please understand that while I do not share your passion, you do have my vote. I do wonder where this all leads.