President Barack Obama and Gov. David Paterson met today for the first time since news emerged that the White House wants the embattled New York official to drop his 2010 gubernatorial bid.
The two men shook hands and Obama leaned over to say a few private words to Paterson after stepping off of Air Force One just outside of Albany, the Associated Press reported.
Obama then traveled to to Hudson Valley Community College to deliver a speech on the economy, attended by both the governor and his potential Democratic gubernatorial rival Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
The president began his speech by saying, "A wonderful man, the governor of the great state of New York, is in the house."
He then went on to thank the "shy and retiring" Andrew Cuomo—a purposefully ironic characterization of the go-getter attorney general— before adding, "Andrew has done great work."
Obama has not officially endorsed another candidate to replace Paterson, but Cuomo handily beats out Paterson in every poll pitting them against each other in 2010.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs did not respond directly to questions about Obama's role in asking Paterson to step aside, according to the AP.
"I think people are aware of the tough situation that the governor of New York is in," Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One. "And I wouldn't add a lot to what you've read, except this is a decision that he's going to make."
When Obama addressed Wall Street last Monday on the economy, the governor was conspicuously not invited, according to The New York Times.
Instead, Paterson met with White House political director Patrick Gaspard, who informed him that the president did not believe he could win the 2010 election. Gaspard is believed to have told the governor that should he move forward with his reelection campaign, he would not have the backing of the White House. The governor’s close friend, Rep. Gregory Meeks, underscored the request later in the week.
Obama’s political team believes that Paterson’s vulnerability could threaten the 2010 re-election prospects of New York’s Democratic members of Congress and the Democratic-controlled legislature.
In a recent Marist Poll, 70 percent of New Yorkers believed that Paterson should not run in 2010.
Former Gov. George Pataki weighed in this afternoon on the Paterson v. White House situation, saying that Obama's focus should be on the fiscal crisis, not state politics.
Paterson insisted on Sunday that he will continue to seek re-election and refused to answer questions about the content of his meetings with White House representatives.
According to The Times, this is a shift from the governor's attitude on Friday, when he told dinner companions Meeks, State Sen. John L. Sampson and Comptroller William Thompson that he would be willing to accommodate the administration’s wishes.
It is unusual for the president to intervene in state politics, but New Yorkers have seen this once before this year, when the administration helped clear the path for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s reelection next year.
Obama appears to be everywhere these days.
The president gave interviews to five different television programs over the weekend and will appear on the David Letterman Show in Midtown this afternoon.
All this leading up to the 64th UN General Assembly this week, where he will meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy.
