Focus Groups Help Lawmakers Hone Proposals; but No Amount of Vetting Beforehand Can Purge Controversy, Legislators Find

Beginning of article

Byline: WALTER C. JONES

ATLANTA -- When Gov. Sonny Perdue and the legislative leaders hold their series of news conferences over the next few weeks to announce the bills they're sponsoring this year, it won't be the first time some Georgians have seen the bills.

Voters in focus groups and survey pools have already seen all the ideas and given them their blessings. You can bet the proposals that tank with the test markets won't see the light of day.

If detergent makers and soft-drink bottlers would never launch a public campaign without test marketing, neither would today's politicians.

Gone are the days of "send it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes."

It would be too risky to chance the TV commercials, online ads and vicious attacks that could come from introduction of a half-formed proposal.

Voters' memories of legislative …