I don't think you get it. If the State legislature elects the Senate, one thing is for certain--people will pay more attention to whom they send to the State Legislature.
Otherwise, the Senate is just a distorted version of the House of Representatives.
But since the 17th, voting with your feet has gradually become more moot. The Federal Government has either usurped the powers of the States, or bought them out with grants to implement Federally imposed programs, leaving the State Governments rubber stamps for the Federal Government.
The Senators have no incentive to look out for the welfare of their State, because it is the popular vote that will get them elected. If one city has more popular votes, the senator will cozy up to them, to the detriment of the State as a whole, simply because that is what will get them reelected. Before, they had to look out for the interests of the whole state, not just a couple of population centers (whether that screwed the rest of the state or not).
I think the 16th and the 17 should be repealed. YMMV, but I'm not going any where.
I don't think you get it. We have this thing in America called "gerrymandering". My state legislature districts are rigged so that all the suburban districts are controlled by Chicago. It doesn't matter how much 80% of the district "pays attention" to the candidates, the brain dead drones in the small chunk of the district in Chicago will vote 95% Democrat and decide who "represents" us districtwide. The same is true of many other states. Say what you want about statewide elections, but you can't gerrymander a state.
>> Otherwise, the Senate is just a distorted version of the House of Representatives. <<
Right. I'm sure Congressman Shelia Jackson-Lee of Texas could become Senator Shelia Jackson-Lee of Texas any time, because there's "no difference" between the two bodies.
>> If one city has more popular votes, the senator will cozy up to them, to the detriment of the State as a whole Before, they had to look out for the interests of the whole state, not just a couple of population centers (whether that screwed the rest of the state or not). <<
Interesting. Ironically you just proved my point instead of yours -- You just described the state legislatures that you want to choose our Senators for us. Unlike the electorate as a whole, my state legislature could care less about the 75% of the state outside Chicago city limits. This is why a conservative suburban Republican like Peter Fitzgerald was able to be ELECTED Senator from Illinois by the electorate as a whole with the 17th amendment in place, but wouldn't have a prayer of becoming Senator if the Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan of Chicago and Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago was making the choice for us.
>> YMMV, but I'm not going any where. <<
Well if the anti-17thers solution to corrupt state legislatures is "MOVE!", then logically you should follow your advice and relocate to a new country if you don't like our method in the United States of choosing Senators and think "our Republic was destroyed" with the passage of the 17th. Nations like Russia have a system in place that you think we should adapt, and they hate it.
News to my state government, they routinely thumb their nose at the feds all the time, and even moreso when Bush was President -- and the federal government rarely does anything about it. The obvious examples of "Sanctuary cities" that publicly declare they won't enforce federal immigration laws, and draconian gun laws. "2nd Amendment?! We don't need no stinkin' 2nd amendment here in Chicago! Ban all guns!"
I think the most disgusting example was about a decade ago when our RINO Governor decided to take a taxpayer funded trip to Cuba and unilaterally start his own "Illinois-Cuba" trade deal (in blatant violation of article I, section 10, clearly specifying that state officials MUST consent of Congress BEFORE starting any trade deals with a foreign country). But "the Federal Government that usurped the powers of the States" did absolutely nothing about our rogue Governor. Dozens of other examples could be cited.
I WISH the "overreaching" federal government would reign in the marxists in my state passing all kinds of unconstitutional laws and decrees. Sadly, they won't.
Billyboy and I have been arguing against the “repeal the 17th” garbage forever.
I’ll keep it simple. Politicians electing politicians= retarded. Ultra mega turbo retarded. It will very obviously give you the opposite of what you want, which is a fantasy not compatible with the real world. It wasn’t even like that in the past, the disgusting corruption and inefficacy of the process is why the amendment was passed and ratified.