So what about Perry?

  Rick Perry is an attractive candidate, both physically and on paper. His entry into the race alters the landscape, I think, for the better.

  As the urgency about health care reform has taken a back seat to trying to preserve the union from going bankrupt, Perry's stock as a job creator has risen.

  A most compelling and succinct essay about Perry's life was written in April by Kevin Williamson at NRO, including background on the Bush/Perry family conflicts. It's quite long but worth the read. Here's a taste:

Perry loves federalism in principle, because it is a critical part of his understanding of the well-balanced American constitutional order — and also because he’s confident that if it comes down to competition among the states, Texas is going to come out on top. He has a firebrand’s style but a traditional conservative’s skepticism of ideology. Asked to describe his governing philosophy, he chuckles, “Don’t spend all the money.” Like most governors, he is not particularly interested in ideological purism or abstract intellectual consistency. He’s a free-market guy, to be sure, but he also likes to brag about the state’s Enterprise Fund and Emerging Technology Fund, which it uses to bribe (my word) businesses to set up shop. Yes, practically every state and city in the country has an “economic development” program like that, and they’re all kind of distasteful to hardcore free-enterprise ideologues, but Texas gets more for its money than do most states, including a rate of job growth that is phenomenal compared with the rest of the big states’. 

Then from the comments section of this Legal Insurrection thread is this:

First, Perry's negatives: Gardisil, which was recommended by the feds, and a program that parents could op-out of and the TTC, a hold over plan from Bush's time in the governor's office. 

Perry's positives: encouraged legislation that lowered ad valorum taxes, especially for seniors, bucked the left wing wind in Austin to create a state income tax, physically recruited companies from other states to relocate to Texas that provided more jobs than all other states combined in the last ten years, refused to sign any legislation increasing state sales tax, encouraged Voter I.D. (which passed), demanded fiscal responsibility from school districts (that spend like it's not their money), defended the Boy Scouts when the ACLU was going after them, strong on the 2nd and 10th Amendments, recalled the legislature with orders to enact laws against "sanctuary" cities that gives the AG the authority to go after city officials that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws and pushed the Texas law that eliminates all ad valorum (home) taxes for veterans with 100% disability. 

Personally calls the families of every Texas soldier killed in Iraq and Afghaistan and gives them him personal cell phone number, took in Marcus Luttrell of Lone Survivor fame to make sure that Marcus got the help for his broken body and shattered mind after losing his entire SEAL team, has taken in more veterans to do the same allowing those veterans to live with him and Anita so that they can monitor the help those veterans need. 

Understand economics (you don't spend more than you have in your bank account), ordered Greg Abbott to sue the EPA over their illegal "clean air" grab in Texas.

  Marcus Luttrell as a friend. That'll work.
  And from another commenter:

 folks need to realize that he has not always lived up to the rhetoric he uses today as the darling of the Tea Party set. And while the business climate in Texas is great, don't forget that his property tax reform plan saved few homeowners any significant money while creating a flawed business tax that failed to collect anything near what it was supposed to, leading in part to the current budget crisis in Texas. Not only that, but his commitment to doing something on illegal immigration made during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign was abrogated by the spring of 2007 — only to be resurrected for the 2010 campaign (and apparently sustained into the current legislative session by his presidential ambitions). 

And this:

He is known to have a mean streak and appoints cronies to board and state positions. Has definitely gotten more conservative over the past 2 years and you have to admit he ran a much better campaign than Kay Bailey for the Republican nomination.
George W was much more liked/respected while governor by both sides of the aisle than Perry.
He also can be derisive of those who don't agree with him. I sent him a check for $.01 because of his incessant requests for money and the fact that his campaign ignored multiple written requests and phone calls to leave me alone.
I'd certainly vote for him against Obama, but would have to hold my nose to do so. 

  Katie Thompson, a Texas resident, at Legal Insurrection has a pretty good rundown, both good and bad. Again, worth the read to get a fix on this latest candidate:

Since he took office in 2001, Texas has created over 700,000 new jobs – more than any other state – and over a third of all new jobs in the past year. The country’stop exporter, Texas remains one of the largest economies in the world and is home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other state. The state’s healthy job market is drawing folksfrom all across the country, attracted by the business-friendly environment and the lack of personal income tax. The state has a balanced budget, but it also has a $9 billion rainy day fund, just in case.