If you don't know the history of the the 16th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, now would be a good time to read a little history about how we started on the path to what is now a ridiculous monster of a federal tax code.
I think the debate should be between whether we start with repeal of the 16th amendment or with instituting a new method for funding the government and then clean out the anachronisms later. The only option that doesn't hold any water is sticking with the status quo.
For the record, I think repealling the 16th amendment now and forcing Washington to come up with an alternative is the only way to go because it is the best way to get started on change.
Even the very blue states are going to have a tough time resisting a loud and persistent call to move away from the mess of a tax code we have now. Alternatively, they can shut down a specific reform proposal in a variety of ways, in which case we wind up with nothing.