Worse Than Bush

Rick Perry, currently the Governor of Texas, has been talked about as a possible Republican candidate for president in 2012. Out of most of the potential candidates at this point, Perry would offer a strong choice for many conservatives not willing to vote for someone like Mitt Romney.

He has charisma, is extremely conservative, and unlike Romney, isn't a Mormon. Hopefully his recent tours of cities outside Texas have been at the behest of raising money for the Republican Party, and not his own presidential campaign.

From Perry's website (rickperry.org):

Gov. Perry on Pro-Life Policy

Gov. Perry is the most pro-life governor Texas has ever had and has implemented a number of significant reforms to protect life and strengthen Texas families across our state.

• Abortion. Gov. Perry has worked diligently to make Texas safer for the unborn by signing both parental notification and parental consent laws to ensure parents are involved in their minor daughters’ major decisions. He signed a ban making certain that tax dollars are not used to support abortion facilities and helped implement the strictest third trimester abortion ban in the nation.
• Banning Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Gov. Perry supports a ban on human cloning and has vowed to veto any legislation that provides state dollars for embryonic stem cell research. He has been a strong advocate of utilizing adult stem cells in their place. Adult stem cell research can provide much-needed solutions for Texans suffering from various tissue and organ disorders while protecting the unborn from exploitation. They are also proven more effective in research than embryonic stem cells.
• Protecting Traditional Marriage. Gov. Perry championed a constitutional amendment that defines marriage in Texas as the union of one man and one woman, which was passed by Texas voters in 2005.
• Promoting Adoption. Gov. Perry has been a longtime advocate of adoption. One of his many efforts to encourage adoption in Texas includes the creation of an adoption incentive program designed to lessen the financial burden for families to adopt children in foster care. Created in 2007, the program provides a monthly health insurance subsidy of $150 for parents who adopt foster children who do not qualify for Medicaid. This effort, alongside many others, has helped nearly double the number of adoptions in Texas since 2004.

From ontheissues.org (unknown level of objectivity):

• ObamaCare is a trainwreck of a plan. (Feb 2011)
• Repeal ObamaCare; simple message to Washington: "Enough". (Feb 2011)
• Opposes government-run healthcare. (Aug 2010)
• Loosen "one-size-fits-all" approach to Medicaid. (Jan 2011)
• Unelected judges shouldn't tell us when & where we can pray. (Feb 2011)
• Member of the Tea Party Movement. (Aug 2010)
• Protect the unborn via sonogram requirement. (Feb 2011)
• Abortion only for rape, incest, or maternal health. (Jun 2002)
• Supports prohibiting human embryonic stem cell research. (Aug 2010)
• Opposes federal abortion funding. (Aug 2010)
• Supports Amendment to prevent same sex marriage. (Aug 2010)
• Vetoes ban on execution of mentally retarded inmates. (Jun 2002)
• Supports voluntary prayer in public schools (Aug 2010)
• Signed the No Climate Tax Pledge by AFP. (Nov 2010)