Rick Perry Impresses NH Republicans [VIDEO]

"Hi Y'all!" Rick Perry said as he greeted more than 100 New Hampshire Republicans at his first official appearance here since declaring his candidacy for the Presidency in South Carolina.

Perry, his wife, Anita, and their children traveled from Charleston, S.C., to the Greenland home of state Deputy House Speaker Pam Tucker and her family for a house party on Saturday evening.

A crush of media, news television trucks, reporters and enthusiastic Granite State GOP members awaited him when he emerged on Tucker's back deck. He shook the hands and greeted as many of his fellow Republicans as he could as he made his way to the podium overlooking the inground swimming pool and gardens.

Perry, who has served as Texas Governor for nearly a decade, drew a lot of comparisons between New Hampshire, the "Live Free or Die" state, and Texas, where he said the saying, "Victory or death," originated.

He also said that Texas' success at attracting 40 percent of the total new jobs in the U.S. since 2009 has followed a "recipe" similar to the New Hampshire advantage of low taxes and less government intervention to help businesses flourish.

Perry said that same approach is needed in Washington so jobs can be created instead of lost. Perry also said he supports the efforts of New Hampshire Republican lawmakers to pass Right to Work legislation.

If they are successful in overriding the veto by Gov. John Lynch, Perry said "people will come here in droves" to work and raise their children.

Less federal government intervention, not more, is one of the cornerstones of Perry's Presidential campaign.

"I will work hard everyday to make sure that Washington is as inconsequential in your lives as can be," Perry said. "The greatness in America is not found in the size of its government, but in the resourcefulness of our people."

Perry also criticized President Obama and the Obama administration for claiming that the country is in recovery when unemployment is more than 9 percent, people are losing their homes to foreclosure and maxing out on the credit cards.

"One in six work-eligible Americans cannot find a full-time job," Perry said. "That is not a recovery, that is an economic disaster."

When the country saw its credit rating downgraded earlier this week because of the recent debt crisis debate in Congress, Perry said, "That was a very sad day in the history our country."

He said President Obama's policies, beginning with the National Healthcare Reform Act, have downgraded America and, if elected, he would work to unleash America's potential again.

"In reality, this is nust the most recent downgrade," Perry said. "The fact is for nearly three years, President Obama has been downgrading American jobs, downgrading our standing in the world, downgrading our financial stability, downgrading confidence, and downgrading the hppe of a better future for our children>'

Like other Republican Presidential candidates, Perry vowed to pass a balanced budget amending to stop Washington's reckless spending.

"We will stop spending the money unless I run out of ink in that veto pen," Perry said.