State Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton took the political low road again this week, calling DFL Gov. Mark Dayton "a bored dilettante" whose recent behavior has been "erratic."

"There is a madness to his method," Sutton said Thursday, as the GOP unveiled its daytonshutdown.com website.

He rammed home the point with this gem: "This is no time for dangerous, unpredictable behavior from a bored dilettante who is throwing a temper tantrum for not getting his way."

Sutton's obvious allusion to Dayton's past mental health issues only solidifies the GOP hit man's reputation for tiresome personal attacks.

The "dilettante" reference was cheap campaign rhetoric, but not nearly as objectionable as alleging that "madness" is driving the governor's decisionmaking.

A GOP news release on the website launch also said that party leaders were concerned that the governor is in "professional and personal shutdown mode."

And party Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb got in on the act by dredging up Dayton's regrettable 2004 decision to shut down his U.S. Senate office in the face of terror warnings.

OK, we get the point.

Although it should be noted that Dayton came close to a personal attack in calling the GOP's Tea Party legislators "radical" and "intransigent" earlier this week, he has done nothing to suggest that the pressure of the budget stalemate is too much to handle.

In fact, the GOP attack may signal the party's frustration that the governor has consistently been a step ahead in the public-sentiment battle.

Before launching his next scud, Sutton should consider the risks. The Star Tribune's letters to the editor mailbox has been overflowing since the end of the session, with a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction with both the governor and the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Sutton's methods could help tilt the balance of public opinion in the governor's favor at a time the GOP majority can ill-afford to lose support.

And here's a suggestion to House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, who must ultimately find some way to work with the governor: Get Sutton in a room, lock the door, and make it clear that his own erratic behavior isn't helping.

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