It’s apparent that New York Gov. David Paterson isn’t trying to please President Obama.

The nation’s first African-American president has made it clear that he would like the state’s first African-American governor to stand down so the more popular state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, can run a stronger campaign against the likes of potential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

No such luck, President Obama.

Paterson will begin running his first TV campaign ads today, according to the governor’s campaign.

The New York Times reports that Paterson’s two ads are 30 seconds long, highlight his biography and confront the criticism he has drawn from labor unions and business interests over his proposed cuts to the state budget. “Both directly confront what polls say is Mr. Paterson’s central political problem: widespread public skepticism that he has the ability to lead the state effectively,” the Times writes.

 “Some say I shouldn’t be running for governor,” Paterson says in the ad. “It might have been easier if all I thought about was running for governor. But I think it’s more important to do what’s right for the people of New York.”

In the second ad, titled “When,” a narrator describes Mr. Paterson’s educational successes and the burdens of being legally blind, while hinting that the governor has been strengthened by his failures and errors in office, according to the Times.

“When you become governor, you learn you will make mistakes,” the narrator says of Mr. Paterson. “But in the depths of an historic recession, you take what you have learned and have the strength to do what’s right for the people of New York.”

The two ads also unveil Mr. Paterson’s new campaign slogan, “Governor Paterson: The People First.” Both ads were produced by Murphy Putnam Media, a firm based in Alexandria, Va.