Giuliani Campaign Press Release - Giuliani Ad Facts: "Challenges"

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "The world's 17th largest economy."

BACKGROUND:

New York City Ranks Seventeenth In Size Compared To Countries Of The World. Based on 2006 GDP data, New York City ranks behind the United States, Japan, Germany, China, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, India, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Australia, and Netherlands (New York City Gross City Product Data 1990-2005, City Of New York Office Of Comptroller; World Bank Development Indicators Database, The World Bank, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP.pdf, 7/1/07, Accessed 11/5/07)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Swimming in red ink."

BACKGROUND:

When Giuliani Took Office, New York Was Facing Its "Worst Fiscal Crisis Since The 1970's'." ("New York: Giuliani Seeks To Delay NYC Recycling Law," Greenwire, 3/29/94)

Giuliani Faced Fiscal Crisis When He Took Office In 1994. "Of all the problems Giuliani will face, none will loom larger – or sooner – than the question of what to do about the city's finances. Under a tough law passed after the fiscal crisis of the mid-1970s, he will be required to explain in January how he plans to close the gap in the current year's budget, estimated at about $400 million [and growing]. Soon after, he will be required to come up with the outline of his budget for the fiscal year starting next summer, which currently contains a projected $1.5-billion deficit [and growing]." (Karen Rothmyer, "Giuliani Seen As Good For Business," Newsday, 11/4/93)

New York Times: "The Budget Mr. Giuliani Submitted To The City Council Yesterday Was His Formal Plan For Fiscal 1995, Starting July 1. He Faced An Awesome $2.3 Billion Deficit – The Largest Since The City's Fiscal Crisis In The Mid-1970's" (Editorial, "A Responsible Budget," The New York Times, 5/11/94)

Ultimately, New York City Faced $2.3 Billion Dollar Budget Deficit For Mayor Giuliani's First Fiscal Year. (Steven Lee Myers, "A Deficit Revisited," The New York Times, 7/31/94)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Record crime."

BACKGROUND:

When Mayor Giuliani Took Office, There Were 1,946 Murders In 1993 And 11,545 Major Crimes Per Week. ("1993 Index Of Crime By Metropolitan Statistical Area," 1993 FBI Uniform Crime Report, p. 139)

"[N]ew York City Is Reinforcing Its Reputation As The Crime Capital Of America. Every 44 Seconds A Crime Is Reported To The Police, Every Four Minutes A Car Is Stolen, Every Six Minutes There Is A Mugging, Every Three Hours There Is A Rape And Every Eight Hours A Murder" (Michelangelo Rucci, "Tales Of A Big, Rotten Apple," The Advertiser, 4/23/90)

Numerous Pundits And Reporters Described New York As Crime Capital Of America:

CNN's Bill Press In 1998: "New York Used To Be The Crime Capital Of The Nation …" (CNN's "Crossfire," 2/27/98)

"The Big Apple, Once Dubbed The Crime Capital Of America …" (Devlin Barrett, "Apple Again Safest Big City In U.S.," New York Post, 5/17/99)

"New York Was Transformed From The Crime Capital Of America …" (Mortimer B. Zuckerman, Op-Ed, "Rudy Runs The Rapids," U.S. News & World Report, 4/9/07)

"For As Long As Anyone Can Remember, New York City Has Been Known As A Crime Capital …" (Ellis Henican, "City Takes A Beating Over Attack," Newsday, 4/26/89)

"[N]ew York, Once The Crime Capital Of The US …" (Nicholas Wapshott, "Big Apple Eats Into Crime," The Australian, 1/2/03)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Runaway taxes."

BACKGROUND:

When Mayor Giuliani Took Office, The Tax Burden In New York City Was 8.73%. (U.S. Department Of Commerce Bureau Of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Information Systems, Downloadable Files Available At: http://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/CA1-3fn.cfm, Accessed 8/14/07; New York City Independent Budget Office, "City Revenue And Spending Since 1980," http://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/, Accessed 11/11/07)

In 1993, New York City Was Losing Business To Other Cities Due To Being "The Highest-Taxed Destination In The Country." "A study commissioned by the Hotel Association of the City of New York and the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association found that the city is the highest-taxed destination in the country, at $23.74 per night, compared with $7.67 in other major cities. As a result, hoteliers and tourism officials say, the city is losing business, some of it just across the Hudson to hotels in New Jersey." (Alan Wax, "Hoteliers Push For Repeal Of Occupancy Tax," Newsday, 5/24/93)

Professional Convention Management Association Organized A Boycott Of New York City Over High Hotel Taxes. "The [hotel] tax has annoyed various meeting planners to the extent that some are boycotting New York. The Birmingham, Ala.-based Professional Convention Management Association, a major organizer of medical association meetings, said it will no longer schedule events in New York and urged its 3,100 members to avoid the state until the tax is repealed." (Alan Wax, "Hoteliers Push For Repeal Of Occupancy Tax," Newsday, 5/24/93)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "A million on welfare."

BACKGROUND:

In January 1994, 1.1 Million People Were On Welfare, Nearly One Out Of Every Seven New Yorkers. (City Of New York Office Of Operations, Reengineering Municipal Services 1994-2001, p. 103; City Of New York Human Resources Administration, January 1999 HRA/DSS Fact Sheet)

CNN's Bill Press In 1998: "[New York City] Used To Be The Welfare Capital Of The Nation …" (CNN's "Crossfire," 2/27/98)

New York Was Known As Welfare Capital Of The World. "At least a few New Yorkers have long despaired of making non-New Yorkers grasp the gargantuan perversity of the city's welfare system. Help has arrived. 'Hands to Work,' by Columbia journalism Prof. LynNell Hancock, purports to be an expose of welfare reform under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. It is far more profitably read as a breathtaking tour of the mindset — supplied by the author and by those she writes about — that for decades made New York the welfare capital of the world." (Heather MacDonald, Op-Ed, "When Bad Habits Met A Mayor Who Wouldn't Put Up With Them," The Wall Street Journal, 1/23/02)

George Will: "Under Mr. Lindsay [Mayor In 1950s] And His Welfare Administrator Michael Ginsberg, Known As Michael 'Come-And-Get-It' Ginsberg, The Welfare Rolls Went From 200,000 To 800,000." (George Will, Remarks At CPAC, 3/2/07)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "That was New York. Until Rudy. He cut taxes 9 billion.

BACKGROUND:

Giuliani Worked With New York City's Democratic City Council To Reduce Taxes 23 Times. Giuliani: "We wanted to reduce taxes and be able to accomplish some of that with the Democratic City Council, overwhelmingly Democratic. We ended up reducing taxes … 23 times successfully …" (Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Interview With WOKQ Radio's Don Brian, Portsmouth, NH, 3/12/07)

Giuliani Tax Cuts Saved Individuals And Businesses In New York Over $9 Billion. (City Of New York Executive Budget, Fiscal Year 1996; City Of New York Executive Budget, Fiscal Year 1997; City Of New York Executive Budget, Fiscal Year 1998; City Of New York Executive Budget, Fiscal Year 2002)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Welfare 60 percent."

BACKGROUND:

Newt Gingrich Called Giuliani An "Absolute Revolutionary" On Welfare Reform. "[O]ur moral critique — if anything, I feel, in retrospect, I was not bold enough in Washington, DC. Our moral critique of the welfare state is going to accelerate, and the place it's happening is at the state and local governments. I mean, Giuliani, in his real reform of welfare, is in fact, behaving as an absolute revolutionary." (Newt Gingrich, Remarks At Progress And Freedom Foundation Conference, Washington, DC, 1/22/96)

While Washington Was Held Back By Endless Discussion, Giuliani "Raced Ahead" To Create Nation's Most Successful Welfare-To-Work Program. "The Giuliani administration, which created the nation's largest and most successful workfare program among single adults in the Home Relief program, is now extending the work requirement to recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children i.e., single mothers. The program continues the city's ambitious efforts at reform, one based on action. While Washington and Albany talk endlessly … Mayor Giuliani has raced ahead by going back to basics: work." (Editorial, "The Four-Letter Fix For Welfare," Daily News, 3/23/96)

Giuliani Cut Over 640,000 People From City Welfare Rolls To The Lowest Number Since 1966. (City Of New York Human Resources Administration, January 1999 HRA/DSS Fact Sheet; City Of New York Human Resources Administration, December 2001 HRA/DSS Fact Sheet; City Of New York Office Of Operations, Reengineering Municipal Services 1994-2001, p. 111)

58.37% Decrease In Number Of Welfare Recipients, From 1.1 Million In January 1994 To 462,595 In December 2001. (City Of New York Human Resources Administration, January 1999 HRA/DSS Fact Sheet; City Of New York Human Resources Administration, December 2001 HRA/DSS Fact Sheet;)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "Crime in half."

BACKGROUND:

During Mayor Giuliani's Tenure, FBI Crime Index Dropped 56% Far Outpacing 16% Decline In National Crime Index. (1993 FBI Uniform Crime Report; 2001 FBI Uniform Crime Report, www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm, Accessed 3/12/07)

New York Observer: "The Phenomenal Decline Under Mr. Giuliani Of Larger Crimes Such As Murder, Robbery And Rape Was Matched By A Reduction In Quality-Of-Life Offenses – Which In Turn Contributed To The Drop In Major Crime …" (Editorial, "Return Of The Squeegee?" New York Observer, 1/7/02)

FBI Statistics Established New York City As Safest Large City In America. "According to FBI statistics, New York is the safest large city in the nation. From July 1, 1996, through June 30, 1997, the graphs showed 44% fewer major felonies and 60% fewer murders." (John J. Goldman, "Giuliani's State Of Mind Goes From N.Y. To National," Los Angeles Times, 10/18/97)

"New York Ranked As The Safest Big City In The U.S. For The Fourth Straight Year As Crime Dropped Around The State And Nation, According To An FBI Report Released Yesterday." (K.C. Baker and Corky Siemaszko, "N.Y. Notches 4th Year As Safest Major City," Daily News, 5/17/99)

"Under Giuliani's Leadership, New York City Was Able To Turn Its Crime Infamy Into The FBI's Safest Large City In America For The Past Five Years." (Aaron Fried, Op-Ed, "Small Numbers Oppose Time's Person Of The Year," The [Syracuse] Post-Standard, 5/3/02)

Former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton Said Crime Drop "Could Not Have Been Done Without Giuliani." ANDREW MURR: "Crime dropped dramatically in NYC when you were there and when Giuliani was mayor. He's taking credit for part of that. What portion of the credit does the mayor deserve?" BRATTON: "[I]t could not have been done without Giuliani. In New York City, one of the great strengths of [the mayor's] position is you have ability to coordinate all elements of the criminal-justice system. … But he deserves significant credit. It could not have been done with the speed and the comprehensiveness and the ultimate impact without him." (Andrew Murr, "Bratton Hugs Back," Newsweek.com, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20423719/site/newsweek/page/0/, 8/24/07, Accessed 8/24/07)

· Bratton Said Giuliani "Believed You Could Do Something About Crime" And Fought Political Battles Against Liberal Naysayers Who Said It Couldn't Be Done. BRATTON: "[Giuliani's] great strength was believing that you could do something about crime. … Giuliani basically fought all the political fights against all the naysayers who said it couldn't be done. So he provided the opportunity and the leadership and fought a lot of the political battles with what was at that time an extraordinarily liberal city." (Andrew Murr, "Bratton Hugs Back," Newsweek.com, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20423719/site/newsweek/page/0/, 8/24/07, Accessed 8/24/07)

NYPD, Under Giuliani, Developed CompStat System That Revolutionized Tracking Crime. "The [Police] department under Mr. Giuliani created CompStat, which, as originally conceived, allowed precinct commanders to track and respond to major crime trends. The system was credited with helping drive down crime and was widely replicated in other cities." (Mike Mcintire, "New York's Falling Crime Rate Is A Potent Weapon For The Mayor," The New York Times, 10/5/05)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "The most successful conservative turnaround in 50 years."

BACKGROUND:

George Will: "[Mayor Giuliani's] Eight Years As Mayor Of New York Were The Most Successful Episode Of Conservative Governance In This Country In The Last 50 Years …" (ABC's "This Week," 1/28/07)

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS): "I Think What A Lot Of People Don't Realize That As Mayor Of New York City, Rudy Giuliani Did Almost Everything That A Conservative Republican Would Hope To Get Done In New York City." (Gov. Haley Barbour, Remarks, Pearl, MS, 9/4/07)

New York Post: "[T]here Is No More Successful Example Of A Conservative Governing Philosophy Than Rudy Giuliani's." (Editorial, "Why The GOP Convention Should Be In New York," New York Post, 6/10/98)

John Podhoretz: "What Is Happening In New York City Right Now Is An Effort To Discredit The Ideas And Policies Of The Giuliani Administration – To Discredit A Specific Kind Of Conservative Governance Whose Success Is A Dagger Pointed At The Heart Of American Liberalism." (John Podhoretz, "The War On Rudy Giuliani," The Weekly Standard, 4/5/99)

AD FACT:

Voice Over: "In America's most liberal city, Rudy delivered. And he can do it again, in a place called Washington, D.C."

Mayor Giuliani: "I'm Rudy Giuliani, and I approved this message."

BACKGROUND:

The Washington Post's Mark Shields Cited Then-U.S. Attorney Giuliani's Accomplishments In New York City As Reason He Should Be George H.W. Bush's Running Mate In 1988. . "As the 1988 Republican nominee, Vice President George Bush will lug with him a long list of political liabilities. … But with the right choice [for Vice President] … Bush could simultaneously turn disadvantage to advantage and the political world on its ear. … Now admittedly Rudolph Giuliani is not a household name, but if you need references … [G]iuliani led the prosecution of the 'pizza connection' in which eight New York Mafia chiefs were convicted and jailed. Who put corrupt executives from Wedtech … behind bars? It was the same man who put Bronx Democratic boss Stanley Friedman away and the prosecutor who risked the wrath of editorial writers, organized labor and politicians by moving for a takeover of the corruption-ridden Teamsters' union. There is a strong argument against putting any first-time candidate on a national ticket. Nobody, it's argued, is prepared for the scalding scrutiny. But you know that Rudolph Giuliani, who has terrorized dirty cops, sleazy politicians and criminals on Wall Street, has been investigated by all of them in an effort to discredit him. Death threats have not slowed him down. He's clean as a hound's tooth; he's gone after all the big boys; he's tough as nails, incorruptible and as untouchable as Eliot Ness. How about it, Mr. Vice President?" (Mark Shields, Op-Ed, "A Prosecutor For VP," The Washington Post, 7/12/88)

Former New York City Deputy Mayor Joe Lhota: "Mayor Giuliani Also Proved That Fiscally Conservative Policies Of Cutting Taxes, Ending Wasteful Government Spending And Stimulating Private Sector Job Growth Are Achievable, Even When Facing Overwhelming Obstacles. As President, He Will Bring That Same Fiscal Conservative Leadership To Washington." (Mayor Rudy Giuliani, "Campaign Kicks Off 'Rudy Gets Results' In New York City's Times Square," Press Release, 10/15/07)

National Review's Deroy Murdock Said Giuliani Could Bring Fiscal Discipline To Washington Because He Had Successfully Done It In New York. "As the Washington spending juggernaut steams furiously ahead, Rudy Giuliani has offered to toss several monkey wrenches into its gears. Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa, the Republican presidential frontrunner unveiled several attractive ideas to 'restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.' … Why should anyone believe Giuliani ever would implement such clever plans? Well, he already has. As mayor of New York, Giuliani used similar reforms to reverse the city's decline and rejuvenate its finances." (Deroy Murdock, Op-Ed, "Rudy's Fiscal Roadmap," National Review, 6/22/07)

Steve Forbes Said Washington Could "Use A Dose" Of The Leadership Giuliani Exhibited In "One Of The Most Liberal Big Spending Cities" In The Country. "[Steve] Forbes concurs, saying that [Giuliani] 'demonstrated in New York, one of the most liberal big spending cities and largest cities, that he could do the right thing fiscally' by restraining spending and by reducing or cutting 23 taxes. Forbes believes that "we could use a dose in Washington D.C." of what Giuliani did in New York" (Jennifer Rubin, "Rudy's Financial Team," Human Events Online, 7/11/07)