Yes, but the press at least attempted to maintain a pretense of objectivity back then. These days they spend all of their time either promoting Obama, covering up for him, or slandering Republicans. There is no longer even a pretense of balance. Also Reagan was a much more polished speaker. And one last difference, it was Reagan vs. Bush, so all the conservatives were in one basket. This year we have conservatives spread across Newt, Santorum, Bachmann, and Perry and all of them attacking each other rather than attacking Mitt.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree. The press made no pretense of objectivity back in the 1970s. They savaged both Nixon and Reagan, just like they savaged Bush I, Bush II, Limbaugh, Gingrich, Palin, etc.
Reagan was a much more polished speaker, but they (the press and the establishment “Rockefeller” GOP) still portrayed him as a “dangerous” moron.
So far as the more varied field this time, that was not the point of your original post — that voters were suffering from Bush-TX fatigue.
It should make an interesting night.