Have you noticed how often the president’s supporters talk about the “likability” factor in politics these days? No longer do we hear that presidential candidates must convey “the vision thing” or “gravitas” or credibility as commander in chief. Not that those criteria were precisely calibrated. Four years ago, many commentators were assuring us that Joe Biden brought gravitas to the Obama ticket, which is a little like saying that helium provides ballast, but at least they thought a certain policy weight was important — even if their perception was ludicrous. This year, however, we are told that voters cast their ballots based mostly upon which candidate they’d prefer to “have a beer with.”

If that truly were the most important qualification in the minds of most voters, we might as well abandon the Electoral College, chuck the Constitution with its complicated rules and just select presidents by liking them on Facebook.