Politics Now

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – The clock is ticking, but President Obama has still not given a road map to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for where the New York Democrat can serve as a surrogate in the final weeks of the presidential campaign.

Cuomo, who had a low-key role at the party’s convention this summer in North Carolina, last week began talking up his plans to go to swing states on the president’s behalf to woo Democratic voters in the all-important get-out-the-vote effort. 

Asked again if he had gotten word from the White House about when he will hit the trail, Cuomo, in a brief session with reporters today, said, “I don’t think so.’’ His spokesman, Joshua Vlasto, quickly added, that there has been no official notification yet, but, “We’ll go where they need us to.

Discuss Monday night’s third and final presidential debate with The News’ Washington columnist Doug Turner.

Mitt Romney and President Obama face off for the final of three debates before Election Day.

President Obama's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart took a serious turn when the President discussed the fatal attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Obama said when something goes wrong, his job is to fix it. (Source: Associated Press)

The governor in Batavia in August. (Buffalo News file photo)

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will be doing more surrogate campaigning for President Obama in the final weeks of the presidential campaign, but said he is worried if he goes too far on the national political stump it could hurt his ability to govern at home.

With his name in the mix as a possible contender in the 2016 White House campaign, Cuomo told an Albany radio station this morning that he has to be aware of the pitfalls such political chatter can create. Cuomo appeared in the spin room promoting Obama after the president's debate the other night on Long Island against Mitt Romney.

"It hurts me as governor. If you politicize me, you cast aspirations on my motivations and intent … you’re going to hurt my capacity and ability to serve as governor," Cuomo said of perceptions that could come with him campaigning for Obama and his 2016 aspirations.

Cuomo ended with a slap at the press for speculating about such things in the first place, adding that it is easier and less "fatiguing" to write such stories than looking at real policy matters.

(Mike Groll/AP file photo)

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo says President Obama has a simple task in his debate tonight against Republican Mitt Romney: "Win."

Cuomo, who will attend the debate at Long Island’s Hofstra University to "cheer the president on," noted that the format – a town hall session – will be different than the one two weeks ago that Obama, according to polls, lost to Romney.

The Democratic governor, who is not one of the Obama surrogates the president has on the road around the country promoting his campaign, said he expects a solid showing from Obama tonight.

"To the extent that people felt he was not engaged or he wasn’t as expressive in the first debate, I’m sure he’s going to correct that in this debate," Cuomo told reporters today in comments that aren't necessarily in line with some of the Democratic spin about the first debate.

In his gubernatorial campaign two years ago, Cuomo would only agree to one debate that had to include several minor party candidates along with himself and Republican Carl Paladino.

Bob McCarthy, the News' political reporter, appeared on WBFO and AM970 this morning with Jay Moran.

They talked about various items in the political world, including the local Democratic party and tonight's presidential debate.

Listen to the whole segment here:

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Obama's Thursday night acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention has been moved indoors because of the possibility of thunderstorms, convention organizers said today.

Originally scheduled for 74,000-seat Bank of America Stadium, the final night of the convention now will be held in Time Warner Cable Arena, the 21,000-seat venue that's the site of the first two days of the convention.

That means people who stood in lines sometimes stretching for a half-mile to get tickets will end up disappointed. But Steve Kerrigan, the chief executive officer, said the campaign would reach out to those ticket holders, with the president set to hold a conference call with them Thursday afternoon.

In addition, "we will work with the campaign to ensure that those unable to attend tomorrow's event will be invited to see the president between now and Election Day," Kerrigan said.

The National Weather Service said there is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms Thursday afternoon, with that chance falling to 20 percent by the 10 p.m. hour when the president is set to speak.

Still, it has rained every evening in Charlotte since Saturday, and many delegates have openly fretted about getting drenched on the convention's last night.

Some Democrats also said they were worried about Republican hecklers in the larger venue, since tickets were given away to anyone who asked. Some also feared that no-shows on a rainy night could lead to lots of empty seats and an embarrassment for the president.

Republicans jumped on that last possibility. Kirsten Kukowski, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, told Associated Press that "questions about enthusiasm for the event" preceded the change in venue.

Convention organizers did not say how much the change in venue would cost.

-- Jerry Zremski