[windsorknot]

We can thank the 17th Amendment for the absence of decorum in a senate not worthy of the name.

What are the chances that the Constitution would have been ratified with the current setup?

[Jacquerie]

If the Framers started off with a popularly elected senate, the chances for ratification in 1787-1788 would have been zero. The states were nervous enough as it was. Keeping the federal feature of the Articles of Confederation in the new Constitution was essential. State participation in the Senate was the keystone to limited government.