Reid stakes claim for relevance extolling his education plan

The Rory Reid Political Relevance Tour kicked off last week at Booker Elementary School with the Professor reminding reporters that, once elected, he will be 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.

First there's the small matter of Democrat Reid's campaign against Republican Brian Sandoval to consider. He trails badly in recent polls: 51 percent to 37 percent, according to the Review-Journal's Mason-Dixon survey, and 54 percent to 31 percent according to Rasmussen Reports.

Sandoval gave up his lifetime appointment to the federal judiciary to run for the governorship of a state shattered by recession. (Politics aside, this proves Sandoval needs a brain scan.) He is ahead in the polls despite running a campaign with a political strategy that can be boiled down to a single phrase: I am not Jim Gibbons. The unpopular Gibbons was the political equivalent of herpes in the kissing booth.

But Gibbons is on his way out , and Sandoval is sitting pretty. It's Reid's job to catch him.

Which leads me to the Democrat's strategy to date. It's been intriguing for its stony seriousness and nearly abject lack of humor. Lest anyone forget, Rory is not just some son of political power and privilege. 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 that led us to Booker Elementary on Wednesday to listen as Reid extolled the virtues of his plan to increase efficiency in the public school system, invest the savings and use those millions to improve principal and teacher quality, technology and testing. At least, that's the next Education Governor's plan.

It's one more detailed plan, he is quick to point out, than his opponent has set before the public. Reid, the Professor, has no shortage of plans, proposals and policies he's prepared to set in place once he dispatches with Sandoval.

"Without wings, a plane doesn't get off the ground," Reid 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 careworn economic engine, one which relies heavily on gaming and construction jobs. If Nevada is ever to attract new business, it will take an educated work force and a public school system that doesn't frighten strangers.

Frankly, at moments he sounded like the leader of the Nevada Development Authority.

"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 balance the state's flagging general fund. Sandoval has portrayed himself as Gibbons with better morals and more electability, and he may yet be proved correct.

But I think Sandoval made an amateurish mistake early in his campaign when he encouraged policy comparisons between himself and Gibbons. That doesn't leave much wiggle room, and if Sandoval's campaign ever takes on a whiff of scandal, it will throw open the door to further comparisons.

"Just like Jim Gibbons, Brian Sandoval wants to balance the budget on the backs of our children," Reid said.

He wasn't shy about going after Sandoval, which not only proves the push to November has begun but also shows Reid appreciates the underdog spot he's in. So while he's staking his claim for relevance, Reid must be careful not to sound too defensive.

We'll see whether the favorite counters, or just keeps grinning and basking in his poll numbers.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.