But over time, I have come to believe that we would likely end up with many of the same problems, and the same Senators regardless of whether they were chosen by the legislatures or the voters.
Our real, underlying problem is the grip of the political parties. Though Trump's victory is a major win against party power, and may lead to some changes.
I agree.
There is not a system of government that is incorruptible. Some are more corruptible than others, but they are all prone to it. Politicians have power. Power corrupts. Our only real check and balance lies within the people.
I really hope Trump is the beginning of a new era in America. An era when corrupt, bought-and-paid-for politicians no longer have chokeholds on their districts and the people hold their representatives responsible. An era when people expect the government to actually run the country in the most effective way possible, sticking with programs that work and eliminating those that don't, when people stop using ideology as a guideline for voting.
While I agree with you about the current political parties being a major problem I also still feel the repeal of the 17th Amendment is needed. This professor only talks about part of the problem with the 17th. The 17th Amendment also removed one of the only redresses to violations of the 10th Amendment.
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." We had no easy recourse to the Federal Government's usurping of State's or People's jurisdictions even before the 17th Amendment was passed. With the 17th we have even less.