Thanks John. You make a good point here. For sure, there were social and political forces at those times that pointed to the inadequacies of the Senate to change from an indirect to a direct election. This amendment did not happen without a lot of popular support.

We could argue a long time whether USA was better governed before or after the 17th Amendment. For example, I have encountered thinkers who believed the 17th Amendment allowed FDR to craft his New Deal because Congress was unable to oppose him because Democrat Senator were more interested in propping up FDR than representing what their state wanted. For fans of the New Deal, the 17th Amendment was a good thing. For detractors of the New Deal, the 17th Amendment was not.