Well here's a thread you may want to check out. The original article is a bit biased (all anti-, no pro-) but there's plenty in the comments for some facts both ways. Pretty much the opposite of this article.
To summarize, I'd put Perry right around where Bush is, maybe a little better. The majority of Perry's accomplishments are wind related: he talks a LOT.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2756597/posts
Copied from a Freeper post, but I forgot to grab the screenname:
Rick Perry is seen as the bridge from "old" to "new" -- "lost" to "motivated" -- "rolling backward" to "pushing forward" -- "federal control" to "states' rights."
Blah, blah, blah -- all atmospherics. Where's the beef?!
Where does Rick Perry stand on giving Mexican nationals the vote? He wants to give them a "card" very much like the Mexican matricula consular -- very, very close to giving them Texas driver's licenses, and to giving them voter-registration cards. Motor-voter, remember?
Where does Rick Perry stand on giving away U.S. sovereignty? He talks about "states' rights" as if he thought the 10th Amendment meant something ...... but then he kowtows to the President of Mexico on the "NAFTA Highway".
Where did Rick Perry come down on (illegal) gay adoptions of kids under the orphanage care of CPS? In favor, that's where -- he didn't lift a finger to protect the whistleblower who was fired when Perry was Lite Governor with all sorts of budget and political power over CPS.
Where did Rick Perry come down on passing a law like Arizona's, to try to protect border residents who are being overrun by drug mules and coyotes transporting thousands of people and tons of narcotics across Texas's long border with Mexico?
Where's Perry on the border fence? (Hint: Nowhere!)
Start reviewing his positions one at a time, and it turns out he's only as "conservative" as he minimally needs to be to keep from being thrown out of office on his butt!
He was good for 40% of the general-election vote in 2006, and we're supposed to be overawed by his political pull?
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Provided by Freeper trumandogz:
In 1988 he headed the Gore campaign in Texas
1n 2008 he endorsed Rudy
As Texas governor he has:
Signed legislation to provide in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
Signed legislation to prohibit teens from using tanning salons.
Signed legislation to require high school athletes to be tested for steroids.
Signed legislation requiring adults to wear seat belts in the backseat of cars.
Attempted to mandate that 11 year old girls be vaccinated against HPV.
Signed legislation to give away billions of Tax dollars in the Texas Stimulus bills which gave hundreds of million of dollars to Formula One Racing, The NFL, the NBA, Sematech and Samsung,
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News story via a Houston paper:
"MEXICO CITY — Leading a large delegation of Texas executives trying to drum up business in Mexico, Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday criticized the U.S. Congress for failing to pass an immigration bill that would legalize millions of workers."
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Courtesy of Politicalmom:
Check out this Perry speech:
You really need to read this speech:
“The Rio Grande does not separate two nations, it joins two peoples.”
“Legislation authored by border legislators Pat Haggerty and Eddie Lucio establishes an important study that will look at the feasibility of bi-national health insurance. This study recognizes that the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border compose one region, and we must address health care problems throughout that region. That’s why I am also excited that Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar is working on an initiative that could extend the benefits of telemedicine to individuals living on the Mexican side of the border.”
“President Fox’s vision for an open border is a vision I embrace”
Perry's Speech
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Perry on Texas's DREAM Act, a decade later:
"In sharp contrast to the national Republican Party line, Texas Gov. Rick Perry still supports his state's version of the so-called DREAM Act, which permits foreign-born children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition. "To punish these young Texans for their parents' actions is not what America has always been about," the potential dark horse GOP candidate told the New Hampshire Union Leader in his first New Hampshire interview of the 2012 campaign cycle."
And another of my responses in the middle of that thread, actually responding to Cincinatus' Wife, who started this post.
I have several links in there, just forgot the url tags. I'll relink them for you. As to the others, some of those are comments I've taken from other posts, which include easily-Googled facts about Perry. I'll admit Perry has done some good stuff (such as Rangers on border, even if it was rather limited, and most of what he's "done" is talk). But the number of bad things he's done/said is enough to put him a short ways down the list of good candidates for President. I do think he'd be better than the Obama administration on the border, but I don't think he'd really be good enough. He talks a lot about it, but really hasn't done very much.
On the fence, I do agree that illegals will still enter the country, whether they "dig and tunnel, climb, swim, drive and fly" to get in. A fence isn't THE answer. A fence is PART OF the answer. It is a deterrent that will, initially, slow the illegal entry issue, and when combined with other border-enforcement measures, can help to greatly reduce the number of foreign nationals illegally entering the country. Yet Perry only supports the fence in a few urban areas. Illegals will just walk around them. They already do that plenty in the AZ desert, or through private ranches near the border (NOT the urban areas where the fence would be).
So what all has Perry done for the border?
Lets look at the Ranger border initiative. As per the Ranger's website at
TXDPS, The Texas Rangers are composed of 144 officers, up to 170 including admin. For the entire state. Regions K and G (Looks to be about 95% of the southern border, though K is currently part of E, so that's all of the border) are composed of 35 Officers, plus region J (Border Operations) is 6 more. And I'm just assuming the 35 actually assist with the border, which they may not even do. So we have ~40 (or only SIX) Rangers, plus the
200 NG members supporting, which isn't very much for the 1200+ mile border. Add to this that the Rangers are primarily a crime investigative unit, not a front-line border enforcement-trained agency.
Also, Perry has apparently done a bit for border funding, including
some anti-gang funding related to border security. My only issue with this is that it comes from Texas funding, even though the Federal government apparently thinks border enforcement is solely a Federal issue, as per Holder and AZ. Though I will admit Perry has tried to talk to Obama/Napolitano about this.
And to continue. Oh, well that's about all I can find on what Perry's done for the border. The rest of it is basically him saying we need to do this, or do that, but that's all it is: talk.
As to the DREAM Act, I know Texas's is much slimmer and more on-topic than the national version. And yes, I did know the specifics of it that you mentioned. However, I don't agree with it, and neither do a large number of people. Being brought here when you were a baby still makes you an illegal alien. Part of the requirement to have access to ANY government-funded service (like higher education) should include proof of citizenship, or a valid, current visa. If someone wants access to these taxpayer-funded services, they should follow the rule of law and file for legal temporary entry/citizenship, like millions of immigrants before them have done. I really think this issue is more of a liability for him than a plus. ESPECIALLY since most people DON'T know the specifics, and the public in general is too stupid to inform themselves.
Also, there's been a more
recent push to repeal this law, similar to how OK repealed their version back in 2008. And the law is currently
going through the courts. And where did you get the '0' nay votes for it? While the
Texas Legislature website shows 0 nays in committee, it doesn't appear to save vote records past 2005...? But per the 'push to repeal law' link above, the actual votes were 27-3 in the Senate, and 130-2 in the House.
Perry talking about amnesty program, 2007.
Perry's speech at border summit, 2001.
Perry still supports Texas DREAM Act, 2011.
Perry thinks a guest worker program shouldn't "reward those who break the law", even though that's exactly what such a program would do for those who are here illegally. Also, supports birthright citizenship. 2006.
Same subject, different article, 2006.