Albany Watch

Former Gov. George Pataki was picked by the Republican National Committee to respond to President Obama’s visit to the Capital Region today.

While Pataki said he was grateful that Obama picked Hudson Valley Community College for the speech and for talking about the need to create jobs, he said, “Right now, we’re seeing in Washington a massive spending binge aimed at stimulating the economy, but we’re not seeing the job growth that comes from the private sector, comes largely from small businesses.”

And Pataki knocked the White House for getting involved with whether Gov. David Paterson should run for election next year.

“”I just think it’s wrong,” Pataki said, according to GNS’s Jon Campbell, who listened in on the call. “Right now, we have an ongoing economic crisis, particularly on the jobs side, and that’s what the president should be focused on, along with Congress, and working to put in place policies that help us create jobs and not focusing on politics, particularly politics not even in Washington but at the state level.”

Pataki continued, “Everyone’s decision to run for office is a very personal decision. For someone from outside, particularly the President of the United States, to not just point out the pros and cons to someone in high public office but to actually, as is apparently was the case, tell them what they thought they should do, I just think is wrong. It’s wrong whether they look to push a Democrat not to run or whether they push a Republican not to run.”

As for running for U.S. Senate himself next year, Pataki said he is considering it.

“It’s flattering that people are asking me to run for things. I’m not going to make a decision at this point,” he said.