Professor Rory clears his throat

The Rory Reid Political Relevance Tour kicked off Wednesday morning at Kermit Booker Elementary School with the Professor reminding reporters that once elected he will become the Education Governor.

By my count, that would make Reid the 30th straight Nevada governor to make such a claim. Meanwhile, Nevada ranks somewhere near Albania in student performance and public school fitness.

Of course, there’s the small matter of his campaign against substantially favored Republican nominee Brian Sandoval to consider. Sandoval gave up his lifetime appointment to the federal judiciary to run for governor. So far Sandoval is ahead in the polls despite running a campaign with a political strategy consisting of a haircut and a smile. Then again, when you’re running against an incumbent as unpopular as exiting Gov. Jim Gibbons -- herpes in the kissing booth -- you don’t have to break a sweat to move on to the final round.

Reid’s campaign strategy to date has been intriguing for its stone seriousness and abject lack of humor. Lest anyone forget, Rory is not just some son of political power and privilege, but he’s also a serious intellect with substantive plans to guide Nevada away from the rocks of crisis and into the smooth seas of prosperity. And it's important to remember that ... argh, schnock, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Sorry, I fell asleep there for a moment.

Now back to the story.

Wasting no time following his easy primary victor, Reid staged a coming-out party at the West Las Vegas elementary school and invited fellow Democrats, leaders of the Hispanic political community and union officials to join him. His message Wednesday: He’s “putting Nevada first” by standing up for the state’s beleaguered public education system.

“Without wings, a plane doesn’t get off the ground,” he said, displaying a grasp of physics and aerodynamics. “Without wheels, a car can’t get down the road. And without strong schools our economy will never grow, not like it needs to in the short term, and not like we really need it to happen in the long haul.”

Reid wisely links improving education with restructuring Nevada’s care-worn economic engine, one which relies heavily on gaming and construction jobs. If Nevada is ever to attract new business, it will take an educated workforce and a public school system that doesn’t frighten strangers.

“Because we will never have a first-rate economy if we continue to accept second-rate schools.” Reid said.

And Sandoval is against first-rate education because he has proposed cutting public education to help balanced the state’s flagging general fund. Sandoval has portrayed himself as Gibbons with better morals and more electability, and he may yet be proven correct.

But I think Sandoval made a substantial mistake early in his campaign by admitting that his political views essentially mirrored those held by Gibbons. That doesn’t leave much wiggle room, and if Sandoval’s campaign ever takes on a whiff of scandal it will have opened the door for further comparisons.

Reid wasn’t shy about going after Sandoval, which perhaps only proves that the push to November has really begun. But while he’s busy staking his claim for relevance, Reid must be careful not to sound too defensive.

Reid’s plan to streamline public school administration and reinvest the savings in teacher and principal education, technology, and “smart testing” seems to have some merit. (Whether there’s really $220 million worth of savings to be had is another story, but I digress.)

Politically, Reid has called out Sandoval on the issue. We’ll see if the favored opponent counters or just keeps grinning.

“Unfortunately, my opponent, Brian Sandoval, has a very different approach,” Reid said, recounting what he called Sandoval’s plan to cut 5,000 teaching jobs, divert $110 million from class-size reduction, and slash 12 percent from university and college salaries."

“Just like Jim Gibbons, Brian Sandoval wants to balance the budget on the backs of our children,” Reid added.

Sandoval has stated he’ll never raise a tax or fee. Reid said he won’t have to raise a tax or fee to accomplish his goal of improving school and student performance and living up to the title the “Education Governor.”

Reid drew first blood and illuminated a point that, if his campaign is on the ball, could gain traction in the coming weeks: Namely, that Sandoval has admitted he really likes the policies of the loser Gibbons.

At last class was dismissed.

Reid made serveral salient points, but I am left with a little advice for the candidate:

These are trying times, Professor, but remember that most voters don’t want too much homework.

And try to crack a smile, would you?