I agree that repeal of the 17th amendment would be a step in the right direction. However, I don't think it is the deal breaker you suggest.
Another amendment is the only way to repeal any amendment. Therefore gaining a constitutional government would seem the first step toward repealing the 17th amendment.
With every unconstitutional act coming out of DC, I ask myself if it would have occurred if the States ran the Senate.
For instance, so much of our society has been harmed by Scotus. Would a Senate of the States consent to judges with a history, a written trail of hostility to the 10th Amendment? No way.