Rudy's ad

It's a well-done ad, and yeah, I get it. New York used to suck, and it sucks somewhat less under Giuliani.

That's great. Hey, Iraq used to suck, and it sucks somewhat less under Maliki. Let's make him President!

Not an exact analogy, but the point stands: New York is a nice town to visit, and I like many New Yorkers. I still don't want to live or raise a family there and I wouldn't take a job in NY. It's still snooty and liberal and they invite Ahmedinejad to speak there. Americans hailing from what New Yorkers would call "flyover country" regard it as San Francisco in a tie. Holding a blackjack.

I understand Rudy's point is that his executive competence allowed him to govern effectively. But New York is still New York. The social conservatives he's trying to corral aren't going to like all the New York talk. And the libertarians aren't going to like how he made those changes.

Now, conversely, Fred Thompson has been bragging in his ads about his small town roots in the Cracker Barrel. I love small towns. But I think too much focus on the small-town aspects of his background make him look small and easy to ignore. His ads need to show more of Fred out in America.

UPDATE: Of course some social conservatives might like Rudy's take on riverboat gambling.

But apparently only riverboat gambling. The other kind is just fine.

Seriously, somebody ask him about that. I'm curious.