Politics on the Hudson

Interestingly, both Governor Paterson and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani were in studio with Brian Williams on NBC this evening—which has already been discussed as a potential gubernatorial matchup in 2010.

Tonight, though, they were surrogates for their respective parties, with Paterson talking up the historic moment of a potential Barack Obama presidency.

Paterson, the state’s first African American governor, said that “now a descendant of those who enslaved and those were slaves becomes the president of the United States.”

He added, “It has to make people from all walks of life feel that their opportunity to be successful in this land was enhanced a little more this evening, even people who voted for Senator McCain would have to feel that way as well.”

Brian Williams was quick to say that the race isn’t over.

He soon turned to Giuliani, also seated in the studio.

Giuliani, who Republicans hope will run against Paterson for governor in 2010, said that whoever wins tonight, tomorrow “We all become American and we support Barack Obama and John McCain 100 percent because if they fail, we fail.”