The ancient Romans pined for the good old days. The Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius reminded himself of that amid tumultuous times, writing that “all of this has happened before.” Centuries later, in 1923, a New York Times headline proclaimed that " American life is too fast”, Jason Feifer wrote for Slate in 2016.

With just weeks to go before the 2024 election and a significant number of ballots already cast, the pair of candidates vying to represent the Bay State in the U.S. Senate met for debate, where they wasted no time before laying into one another.