SCHENECTADY — President Obama bounded off his plane in Albany yesterday, greeting Gov. Cuomo with a huge grin and a handshake.
The presidential visit — Obama’s third to upstate New York in less than two years — provided his first meeting with Cuomo since November, when the fiscally conservative Democrat’s landslide gubernatorial win provided the Democratic Party a bright spot in an otherwise devastating election season.
Appearing before more than 200 General Electric workers in hardscrabble Schenectady to tout new high-tech manufacturing jobs at a massive GE plant, the president was quick to lavish praise on Cuomo, opening his remarks by saying he will make “an outstanding governor.”
The president, a Chicagoan and therefore a fan of his hometown NFL Bears, drew laughs by telling the crowd he had rejected a Jets hat from the Queens-born Cuomo.
“I had the Secret Service confiscate it,” Obama said.
“But I will say both the Jets and the Bears I think are slight underdogs, so we’re going to be rooting for the underdogs on Sunday.”
Obama channeled Gov. Cuomo’s pro-business message yesterday as the nation’s chief executive addressed the crowd — and announced that GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt will lead a new team of economic advisers.
Obama speech was seen by many as a prelude to his State of the Union Address next week, when he will continue his effort to shed his anti-business image.
“Our job is to do everything we can to ensure that businesses can take root and folks can find good jobs,” the president said after touting a $755 million deal GE has struck with India to produce power turbines that will create 1,200 US jobs.
“We’re going to build stuff and invent stuff,” Obama added.
The remarks in many ways echoed Cuomo’s own declaration in his State of the State Address this month that “New York is open for business.”
Obama was introduced by Immelt, whose presidential advisory board will focus on jobs and competitiveness.
Empire State of Union
Fresh off talks with China’s President Hu Jintao, President Obama traveled to Schenectady, NY, yesterday to promote his vision for reviving the economy with homegrown technology.
* Addressed workers at GE factory slated for expansion with 1,200 new jobs.
* Announced that GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt will helm White House economic-recovery panel.
* Said fiscally conservative Cuomo will make an “outstanding governor.”
Additional reporting by Fredric U. Dicker