Rudy calls himself an outsider

CONCORD, N.H. -- Republican presidential aspirant Rudy Giuliani said today the only way to restore fiscal conservatism in Washington is to elect an "outsider" like him.

“This isn't about Republicans and Democrats, this is something about the air in Washington," said Giuliani. "You come to Washington and then after two or three years you start spending all this money."

"We need somebody that doesn't breathe all that air...You know who that is? It's me," Giuliani told a gathering of about 100 people at a town hall meeting at New Hampshire Technical Institute.

As the former mayor of New York, Giuliani said he has a record of tax cuts and fiscal discipline.

He also took two questions on the recent immigration legislation that he opposed and that failed in the US Senate. On healthcare, Giuliani gave his most detailed answer yet explaining that he believes if market forces were allowed to function in the industry healthcare would be cheaper, more accessible, and have more quality.

"Look what happens with televisions," Giuliani said. "At first they are really expensive and they have some flaws, but eventually they come down in price, more people can afford them, and they are of higher quality. That is how markets work."

After the Concord meeting, he had lunch at Robey's Country Store in Hooksett, a classic presidential primary stop for decades. He had chili and coffee and gladly took a picture with a 20-month-old boy with a Yankees cap.

"This is the one day I am rooting for the Red Sox," Giuliani said because of tonight's Major League Baseball All-Star Game. "I am an American League guy."