Obama mixes high-tech, political broadsides in speech (at chip lab created under Repub )

Times Union ^ | May 8, 2012 | Paul Grondahl, Larry Rulison and Cathleen Crowley

[NYer]

President Barack Obama, accompanied by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, holds a silicon wafer, as they tour the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at State University of New York at Albany's Nano-Tech complex, Tuesday, May 8, 2012, in Albany, N.Y., with Chris Borst, assistant V.P. for Engineering and Integration.

ALBANY — Using the University at Albany's nanotechnology center as a backdrop, President Barack Obama delivered a speech about the U.S. economy that touted a combination of private and public funds that go into the high-tech school.

He also fired a broadside at Republicans in Congress who he blamed for inaction on White House proposals he said would spur economic growth.

"This is one of the only colleges in the world dedicated to nanotechnology," Obama, a Democrat, said.

"This school and this community represent the future of our economy."

"The true engine of job creation in this country is the private sector. It's not Washington, but we can make it easier for these companies to hire."

But in a sign the White House is looking ahead to the campaign against Republican Mitt Romney, Obama criticized Congress for failing to act on jobs legislation his administration proposed.

"The Republicans in Congress got together and said, 'No,'" he said.

"I know it is an election year but it's not an excuse for inaction."

He offered a to-do list of items he wants Congress to tackle.

He urged lawmakers to pass legislation to allow homeowners to refinance their homes at a lower rate and to give small businesses a tax break for hiring workers. He also advocates a program to help Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans find jobs.

Obama suggested the burgeoning nanotech industry in the Capital Region could be a model for the nation, noting the presence of GlobalFoundries and IBM.

" I want what's happening in Albany to happen all across the country," he said.

HE talked about importance of work being done at the NanoCollege, calling New York is model for his ideas to spur American manufacturing. "We know the true engine of job growth in America is the private sector, not Washington," the president said.

"Some of the most advanced manufacturing work in the world takes place in upstate New York," President said.

Earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave Obama a rousing introduction, telling a crowd at the NanoCollege that the President is responsible for the nation's financial recovery.

"This nation, this state went through hard times," Cuomo said.

"We felt the economic pain from one end of this state to the other." Cuomo said. "There is also no doubt today is a much different day and your leadership has brought this nation through the storm and we thank you."

Before the speech, Obama and Cuomo toured the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

In a clean room, they examined an applied materials chip manufacturing tool.

"This looks like a pretty fancy piece of equipment," Obama said to students showing off the device.

The President arrived aboard Air Force One shortly before noon at Albany International Airport and made the quick trip to the nanotech center.

Cuomo, Mayor Jerry Jennings and Colonie town Supervisor Paul Mahan were waiting on the tarmac as Obama got off the plane. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko was with him.

It is the President's third trip to the region. "The President has been coming to Albany so much, the rest of the state is going to get jealous," Cuomo joked.

When Obama visited Hudson Valley Community College in 2009, hundreds lined Albany Shaker Road in Colonie to get a glimpse of him. Last year's visit General Electric's plant in downtown Schenectady also featured large crowd near the plant.

But there were few people on Albany Shaker on Tuesday. Some huddled in the entrance to The Desmond hotel and planned to run out into the rain when Obama's motorcade passed.

About 70 people waiting at the rotary outside the main entrance of the Nanotech building were disappointed by the President's arrival because Obama's motorcade slipped into an entrance between the rotary and Washington Avenue Extension that is usually locked and gated. The group barely caught a glimpse his car.

"That was anti-climactic," said Keri Young, of Altamont, who took her three teenagers out of school and pushed her 9-month-old baby in a carriage to see the President's arrival.

[NYer]

Let's give credit where it is due. The following is from Capitaltonight blog. Thought written with a liberal slant, the facts remain that it was under a Republican governor, that both this facility and the one in Malta, were created.

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Pataki, Cox Note GOP Roots Of Nanotech

Hours before President Obama is scheduled to speak here at the nanoscale college at the University at Albany, Republican Chairman Ed Cox and former Gov. George Pataki held a conference call criticizing the president for his job-creation record and sought to draw a distinction on how to spur private sector growth.

But at the same time, Pataki and Cox noted their own involvement in the creation of the nanotech facility the UAlbany campus.

The college was “development 10 years ago by a Republican governor and based on Republican principles,” Cox said on the call.

Pataki, governor from 1995 to 2007, insisted he wasn’t on the call to take credit for nanotech campus, which seems to have grown exponentially every year.

“This isn’t about me,” Pataki said. “This is about the future of America.”

Instead, both Cox and Pataki sought to compare the success of government-sponsored investment in the private sector tied to job creation compared to the loan given to the failed clean-energy company Solyndra.

Pataki mentioned Solyndra at least three times when comparing his efforts during the 1990s on job creation to the Obama administration.

“We did the opposite pretty much of what president obama has done,” Pataki said. “We didn’t give a grant to a (single) company.”

The GlobalFoundries facility in Malta, where Obama was initially scheduled to appear, was also a major development during Pataki’s tenure. But Pataki drew a distinction between GlobalFoundries and Solyndra, noting the government incentive package for what was then AMD was tied to job growth.

“We weren’t competing against any other state, we were competing against two foreign countries,” Pataki said. “It was a very difficult compeitition and by the way, when we put our package in place to get there, we have to pay a 35 percent corporate tax. We actually had to look again at what sort of incentives to lure them here. The federal government wasn’t part of the solution, they were part of the problem.”

The White House has said they changed the site of today’s event for logistical reasons, though the foreign ownership and massive tax credits GlobalFoundries has received would have raised uncomfortable questions for an administration running for re-election.

Pataki said he wasn’t offended by the switch.

“I think it was a wise decision for him not to go there, but I would have been proud of him going to either site,” Pataki said.

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New York State Troopers provide security along Fuller Road at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering on the campus of the University at Albany as they await the arrival of President Obama on Tuesday morning, May 8, 2012 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union) Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Obama-mixes-high-tech-political-broadsides-in-3542244.php#ixzz1uJC9YSr4

[bandleader]

His rant interrupted El Rushbo on WGY this afternoon.Not to worry;I went to WTIC(Hartford,CT.).This A**HOLE will take credit for ANYTHING good that has happened(no mention of source),but will continue to decry EVERYTHING bad and blame it on”W”!!!Who has been POTUS for the past 3 and one-half years???????????????????????????

[fremont_steve]

I work in silicon valley. never even heard of this place. big deal.

[NYer]

I work in silicon valley

I was working in the governor's office during Republican Governor Pataki's Administration. The goal was to develop a high tech corridor through NYS. Pataki initiated the financial support needed to launch the project. Not surprisingly, it takes years to grow a seed into a tree. However, what began under Pataki has now grown into a blossoming industry that has attracted investors from across the US. The facility visited by Obama today, is located at the State University of NY at Albany. According to the history on their web site:

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany-SUNY began as a combined vision of government, academia and industry. The common goal was to propel New York State to a leadership position in technology and economic development. Four key drivers comprised the strategy: select an overarching discipline (nanotechnology), invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure, focus on world-class, hands-on education and training incorporating the whole supply chain, and leverage public-private partnerships.

Since its inception, the center has grown, and drawn other high tech industries to the Capital District. One of these is Global Foundries in nearby Malta. They have attracted some of the greatest minds from around the world. The surrounding community has welcomed these new members with open arms while providing them with top rate golf courses, some of the best skiing in the US, top notch restaurants and a locale focused on raising a family. While it is impossible to compete with the CA climate, the Capital Region of NYS is a centralized hub where families are only 3 hours away from NYC, Boston or Montreal. Check it out! Global Foundries

I am a native New Yorker. I grew up downstate, lived on Long Island, commuted to a job with an international airline in Manhattan. About 20 years ago, I decided to relocate to this part of the state and have never regretted the move. Silicon Valley is great but being in an area where your talent is recognized and appreciated .. well, that's actually welcoming :-)

Global Foundries new plant at Luther Forest in Malta, NY

[hattend]

College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at State University of New York

Uh oh, this facility will burn down or some other calamity will take it.

The anti-Midas Obama used it as a speech backdrop and praised the job they do.