Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has unleashed his first ad on New Hampshire, a $314,000 buy that will air on local stations for the upcoming five days.

Says Giuliani in the spot: “New York City is the 3rd or 4th largest government in the country. It’s one of the largest economies in the United States. They used to call it unmanageable, ungovernable. A large majority of New Yorkers wanted to leave and live somewhere else. It was a city that was in financial crisis. A city that was the crime capital of America. A city that was the welfare capital of America. A city that was in very, very difficult condition when I became the Mayor. By the time I left office, New York City was being proclaimed as the best example of conservative government in the country. We turned it into the safest large city in America. The welfare to work capital of America. And most importantly, the spirit of the people of the city had changed. Instead of being hopeless, the large majority of people had hope. So, I believe I’ve been tested in a way in which the American people can look to me. They’re not going to find perfection, but they’re going to find somebody who has dealt with crisis almost on a regular basis and has had results. And in many cases exceptional results. Results people thought weren’t possible. I’m Rudy Giuliani and I approve this message.”

The New York Times scores its accuracy: “While crime did drop sharply while Mr. Giuliani was mayor, there is considerable debate over how much credit he deserves. When he took office, his predecessor, Mayor David N. Dinkins, had already begun a $1 billion program to increase the ranks of police officers, and crime had begun to decline. During the Giuliani years, the crack cocaine epidemic was quieting down, and across the country, even cities with troubled police departments were seeing notable declines in crime.”

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