Chuck Todd, political director of NBC News, talking about Fred Thompson’s web-column hitting New York City judge rulings on guns, and Mitt Romney’s ad hitting New York as a sanctuary city:

When you think about the states in the early Republican primary contest, you’ve got places like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. They sort of look down on New York City. You know, I’m reminded of that old salsa campaign ad, back in, Pace, you know, when they had the cowboys out there, mocking, going, finding out that some other salsa was made in New York City, you know, so New York City is a way to scare conservative rural Republican voters. And I think they know that while they can’t directly take out Giuliani by name, by hitting New York City, it’s a way to start chipping away at Rudy.

(I’m not going to make fun of the rambling sentence structure in the Pace commercial anecdote, as I, too, have been in front of a camera and found my mouth suddenly disconnected from my brain, and found myself burting fragments of sentences that smashed up against one another to form a five-car-pile-up of a statement.)

Anyway, four thoughts on Republican candidates offering criticisms of “New York City” as a way to hit Giuliani indirectly:

1) That Pace ad ran in the 1980s, and was revived back in 2004. Way to stay current in your anecdotes, man.*

2) Criticizing New York City is a brilliant way to build support in rural America… if you’re still living in the year 2000. Somehow I get the feeling that the residents of the five boroughs aren’t perceived as the strange, menacing and hated mass of oddballs that they were before… oh, you know, maybe about six years ago? Something happen in there that might have changed the way the country looks at the city and its residents? Anything?

3) Why not go after Giuliani and his decisions? In fact, Romney has gone after the mayor on sanctuary cities, and Giuliani’s record on guns during his eight years at Gracie Mansion has to offer at least as much fodder for criticism as a Brooklyn judge’s decision. For somebody trying to position themselves to the right of Giuliani, his record has to be a target-rich environment, and yet instead they’re going for the, “well, he’s from New York City, and you know what that means” vibe.

4) Is Fred Thompson really more associated with Tennessee in the public’s mind, or, you know, some other location?

Clunk-clunk. [My onomatopoeia for the Law & Order sound effect.**]

* I am told the Pace salsa ads are still running. I haven’t seen ‘em in a while, but I’ll take my readers’ word for it. I must be watching the wrong channels.

** I’ve heard others suggesting “clung-clung” and other variations.