Making him less susceptible to out-of-state influences. Chuck-chuck-bo-buck-banana-fana-fo-you-know-the-rest would have to follow the wishes of his state legislature. If the legislators decided that Cap-and-Tax would hurt New York disproportionately, it wouldn't matter what Miss Lindsey Grahamnesty or John F'in Kerry had to say about it. If the state's voters were against Real ID, the Senators wouldn't vote for it, lest they want to face recall by the legislature.
In New York ? Legislative accountability ? Good one.
“...lest they want to face recall by the legislature. “
This begins to address the real beauty in the pre-17th Senate.
Regardless of party, a politician needs/wants power. The State also “wants” power.
Think about it. What states would deliberately send a senator to D.C. that would vote away the authority of their home state? And, if they tried to vote away the authority of their home state, what state legislatures would keep them there?
It is an extremely effective check/balance that has been removed.
The congress represented the people, and the senate represented the state. This helped prevent laws from getting passed that was unfair to the people, or strengthened the central government at the expense of the state.
I need to study history and see who was pushing for the 17th...