At the beginning of the presidential election year 1980, there was an outcry from Governor Ronald Reagan's supporters right after his unexpected loss in the Iowa caucuses to former CIA director George H. W. Bush, who was considered a liberal (or former one), and at that time, a pro-abortion supporter, and a privileged blue-blood Rockefeller Republican.
 
These conservative Reagan supporters were concerned that some of Reagan's top campaign people from the ranks of the Republican establishment  --  such as campaign manager John Sears  --  were cramping Reagan's style.  Because Reagan was so far ahead in the national polls, Sears decided that the campaign would conduct an "above the fray" strategy.  Sears had Reagan avoid some of the debates and straw polls in key states on the Republican primary schedule.  Thus, Governor Reagan did not have many opportunities to show his toughness and courage to Republican voters which appealed to so many California citizens.
 
Besides Bush, Reagan's other Republican opponents were Senator Robert Dole, Senate minority leader Howard Baker, former Texas governor John Connelly  --  like Rick Perry, a Texas Democrat turned Republican  --  Representative Phillip Crane, and Representative John Anderson.  However, just as in 2012, there were two major candidates, one very conservative and one mostly liberal and the minor candidates.
 
This writer, who spoke to Reagan campaign manager John Sears shortly after Reagan's Iowa straw poll defeat during the January 1980 caucuses, got the feeling from our conversation that he felt he was "dead man walking."  We were both on the way to a St. Paul, Minnesota hotel conference room to hear Governor Reagan speak to those of us who were his congressional chairmen and leaders in Minnesota and other dedicated Reagan supporters.  John Sears was fired shortly after our conversation.  He was replaced by Reagan friend William Casey.  Sears' conservative rivals in Reagan's campaign, Edwin Meese and Michael Deaver, also became more involved in the campaign.  Reagan quickly went on to secure the Republican nomination.
 
Some political analysts are now blaming Governor Perry's campaign staff for his lackluster performances in the debate.  That remains to be seen, but Republican voters are baffled over Perry's lack of aggressiveness during the debates.  During one of the debates Perry said, "I kinda feel like a pinata here at a party."   But yet, Perry does not go on the attack enough exposing his opponents' falsehoods and swipes against him as Reagan so famously did before the February 1980 Republican primary in New Hampshire.
 
As John Sears refused to "let Reagan be Reagan" during the summer and fall of 1979, it seems that Perry's campaign is not allowing "Perry to be Perry" during the summer and fall of 2011.  What Texans  --  who elected and reelected Perry to the governorship 3 times  --  liked about Perry, was his courage, his outspokenness and his willingness to tell Texans the tough truths.  That is what is now required in Rick Perry's presidential campaign.  Let Perry be Perry.