“Didn’t work. That’s why the 17th was enacted.”
No, it did work, that is why the Progressives of the era wanted it changed.
Wrong. It never worked as the Founders’ intended. As soon as Senators discovered early on in the 19th century that they had no LEGAL obligation to step down when the opposition party would win the legislature during their term, it ceased to work. It became a thoroughgoing joke by the end of the 19th century and the public demanded they bypass corrupt legislators and elect the Senators directly. It WAS going to be enacted and the state legislatures had to approve it or face defeat at the polls and replacement by those who would.
No, it did work, that is why the Progressives of the era wanted it(state selected senators) changed.