The 17th Amendment took away a huge chunk of the power of the states a century ago.
It did that and much more.
Simple republican theory known to all since ancient times is that the people are represented in a government that acts upon them. If the constitution acted only on the people, and ignored the states, a congress composed of reps of the people would be consistent with republican theory. Dangerous, but consistent.
However, our constitution acts on both the people and the states, and until 1913, both were represented, as they should be in the law-giving body, congress.
It makes as much sense under our system to deny congressional representation to the people as it does to deny it to the states.
It is amazing that this internal contradiction, of government without consent of the states, took so long to destroy our nation.
The 17th left in its wake a federal constitution without a federal government.