Voters should demand change in tone

Set aside for a moment the fact that two-thirds majorities in the Georgia House and Senate aren't likely to approve Gov. Sonny Perdue's legislation eliminating elections for four statewide officials.

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And nevermind the reality that Georgia's voters are not likely to vote for a constitutional amendment allowing the governor to appoint the heads of the state agriculture, insurance, education and labor departments.

Instead, focus on the reaction to Perdue's proposal - and its window into the deteriorated state of political discourse in our country.

Within minutes of the announcement, the state's Democratic Party leadership fired both barrels at Perdue, claiming the proposal showed "contempt for Georgia's voters" and was "a plot to limit democracy and ignore the constitution."

Really? They get all that out of a proposal first suggested - as columnist Tom Crawford points out - by fellow Democrat Jimmy Carter?

Sadly, the state Democratic Party isn't serious in its denunciation of Perdue's plan, just as Perdue, in floating the dead-on-arrival idea, isn't serious about its passage.

But the harsh response is a signal that once the parties' primaries winnow the candidates to one each, we can expect a long, ugly season until the general election.

From any party, ideas should win, not inflamed rhetoric. Voters should demand it.