I’ll agree that men of courage and vision are rare but for a country of 330 million we only have to produce 435 of them. These aren’t clerks in a Grocery store. If we don’t expect more we won’t get more.
In short, the Framers left the qualifications of electors to the House entirely up to the states. Its right there in Article I. They did this for two reasons.
First, the several states had widely varying standards for voting and arriving at a standard for all states was fairly impossible.
Second, James Madison reminded the delegates that the senate of the states would quell, stop, stomp on all wild proposals from the expected semi-mob in a House of Representatives.
See? Our pre-1913 constitution did not rely on virtue. Sure, a virtuous people will send better people to the House, but when they don't, the senate of the states is there to stop idiocy.
Since 1913 the idiocy of popular whims has been extended to the senate. Can you tell the difference in rhetoric between the typical rat rep and senator? I can't.
Separation of powers and not reliance on virtue is the historic and essential characteristic of our constitution.
Madison spoke of a government of non-angels in post #47.