Opinion: In today’s pages: How campaigns work, and more tests for kids
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He’s running up the score, according to the Times editorial board. Like USC going for a touchdown when it’s already leading 62-0, Barack Obama is spending oodles of cash on a Wednesday night 30-minute infomercial.
‘For Obama, the decision seems to be based on the fact that he has raked in train-loads of campaign cash, and he can’t possibly spend it all if he confines himself to battleground states. So he’s trying to run up his popular vote count nationwide and increase what George W. Bush used to call his ‘political capital.’’
The board also takes issue with some of the local governments that are asking voters for tax and bond money next week, but don’t seem at all sheepish about using public funding to do their campaigning. That’s because it’s not really campaigning (wink) but is simply part of a public service informational outreach.
And, the SAT comes to kindergarten. Or just about. Students had their SAT and SAT II, and before that their pre-SAT, so it was only a matter of time before we had this: for eight-graders, the Pre-Pre-SAT, also known as Readistep.
Over on the op-ed side, the Times’ Gregory Rodriguez picks through a psychological study finding that hubristic pride -- you know, kind of like overt patriotism -- masks some deep-seated insecurity.
Clearly, these studies shed some light on all the loose-lipped campaign rhetoric about who and what parts of the country are more patriotic than the rest. They suggest that not all pride is good, and they raise the question of whether hubristic pride is actually counterproductive. After all, if flag-waving braggadocio is no more than a mask for deep doubts about the viability of your ‘side,’ it just makes sense to put down Old Glory and stop shouting. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to engage in the hard work, sacrifice and practice you need for authentic achievement and authentic pride.
MIT Professor Charles Stewart III, co-director of the Cal-Tech/MIT Voting Technology Project, cites the McCain campaign attacks on ACORN as an opportunity to check in on the current state of voting security.
To stop attacks on voting machines (and thus remove any taint from Republican victories), states need laws that ensure a clear chain of custody for all machines and ballots before an election, require thorough audits of the machines after an election and make all software open to public scrutiny. Some states, including California, have made progress in this area, but most have not.
And Marc Eckstein, medical director of the Los Angeles city Fire Department, pays tribute to the ‘Great Stone Mother’ -- General Hospital, the flagship building and symbol of Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Although a replacement opens next week, Eckstein says, the tradition of high-quality healthcare without regard to ability to pay will remain.