DEBATE AFTERMATH – AT 8:34 A.M. ET:  An old theme is being played by some observers after last night's Republican debate in Iowa.

It goes like this:  Everyone did pretty well, and Romney survived.  But no one stood out as the candidate either.  In other words, none of the candidates is exciting the party, motivating the base to get out and work.  There is still a searching for the next Reagan.

That, in large measure, is why the arrival into the race of Rick Perry tomorrow is attracting so much attention, and creating so much anticipation.  Is he our version of the one?  Can he take on Obama?  Or will he be brought down quickly by the media and the opposition research?

Already Perry is diverting attention from tomorrow's Iowa straw poll, something which is not winning him many friends in Iowa.  He's a man of sharp elbows.  He's also a man who wins elections.  We'll be watching carefully to see how he introduces himself tomorrow, in his announcement speech in South Carolina, and in his follow-up speech in New Hampshire.

What Perry must do is show that he is a complete human being – a man who created jobs in Texas, yet a man who shows the compassion that his religious beliefs require.   We loved Reagan in part because we felt he knew us.  We felt he loved the American nation and its people.  Many who disagreed with Reagan still voted for him because they had a kind of gut confidence in him.  Some had been Democrats all their lives and became the Reagan Democrats.  Perry must now convince a nation, not just the base of his party, that he has that Reaganesque quality if he is to stand out from the crowd and become the candidate.  I'm not sure he has the stuff.  I want to be convinced, and I'll be watching tomorrow for the first indication.

August 12, 2011