Well, there's your problem right there. The gay-loving, tax-loving, union-loving Northeast aren't going to love Perry because they're a bunch of liberals and - if you haven't noticed - their numbers are shrinking by the month. That's why they are losing congressional districts and the South is adding them.
The GOP spends way too much time kissing liberal ass because of "the sensibilities of most people in the Northeast". The way you win a general election is to politely tell the Northeast to go screw themselves.
How many electoral votes did the GOP win in 2008? In 2004? In 2000? In 1996? Other than New Hampshire and half of Maine, the answer is probably "zero". And yet we won the White House in 2000 and 2004 without their help. It will be even easier in 2012.
How many times does the Democrat Party worry about offending the sensibilities of people in Texas or Utah or Alabama? I'm guessing they don't.
I see you take half my statement and try to respond to that alone. I said the Northeast and the Coasts, but let me make it simpler for you, outside of the Bible Belt. The majority of Americans do indeed live outside of the Bible Belt and much of Perry’s shtick won’t fly with them.