Barack Obama

Supporters listen as President Barack Obama speaks at McCormick Place in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, giving his presidential farewell address. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

(Nam Y. Huh)

(Editor's Note: The following is a column written by former PennLive/Patriot-News political columnist Laura Vescey on the occasion of former President Barack Obama's first 100 days in 2009.)

The trio of women in bonnets and modest dress sat eating at Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.

As members of the Old Order River Brethren who live and worship in Chambersburg, the women said their religion --which stresses nonresistance to enemies -- prevents them from voting in political elections.

However, in a country being historically remade by a popular, African-American president who is leading the U.S. in the worst economic times since the Great Depression, the River Brethren women were willing to make a rare public admission.

Like most Americans, they had opinions about Barack Obama.

"It's a little too soon to know how he's doing, but we feel like Obama was put in there because God wanted him in there," said a woman who asked to be identified as Mary.

"He's doing the best he can with economy. On other things, like foreign speeches and his standing on abortion, he's different from presidents we've had before. But one thing's for sure," Mary said. "He really has broad shoulders."

As he approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency on Wednesday, the man with broad shoulders is also a man of broad appeal.

Barack Obama's job approval rating stands at 63 percent -- higher than those of his most recent predecessors. Obama's personal popularity is even higher, with 73 percent of Americans holding a favorable view of him as a person.

It is with a sense of admiration, gratitude and, yes, relief that a majority of midstate officials and residents interviewed for this article spoke about Obama.

"With the situation he was left with, it's only natural he's going to struggle," said Frank Paese, 57, a 30-year veteran of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire. "He's got some room for improvement, but so far I think he's exceeded my expectations."

Those sentiments reflect an Associated Press poll released last week that found 48 percent of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction. That number is up 8 points since February and 31 points since October.

"The man has the greatest intentions possible to get things straightened out," said Bill Geary of Swatara Twp., a retiree who said he's living on Social Security. "He's got that self-made motivation and energy. I wish I had some of that energy."

"I think he's doing better than I expected he'd do," said Doug Davis, 53, a retired federal employee who lives in Lower Paxton Twp. "I was personally surprised by the way he's turned around the banking system, then, on top of that, the car companies and making them do right."

"He's doing a good job," said Dave Baum, a York resident who works at the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in Harrisburg. "I'm open-minded enough to know he's not perfect. We can't judge him on every little thing, not with the mess he came into."

The "mess" Obama inherited led him to push a $787 billion stimulus bill and bail out banks and mortgage companies in order to stop the economic freefall and kickstart the economy. That "mess" also includes the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq and the crisis in the Middle East, not to mention tensions with North Korea, which recently launched a missile.

Not that everyone likes how Obama has handled things so far.

Opinions about his performance tend to be highly partisan. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, Obama has earned a 61-point gap in opinions about his job performance between Democrats and Republicans.

Researchers say that's a result of a combination of a very high Democratic rate -- 88 percent job approval -- and a low approval rate of 27 percent among Republicans.

Charles Focht, 62, a former eyeglass maker for Weber Optical, is among that 27 percent. Asked his opinion about Obama's performance, Focht had a one-word answer: "Sucks."

"This guy's giving trillions of dollars away. I lost half my retirement. All this money in the stimulus? How many people are being put to work? He's dumping a lot of money that our grandchildren are going to have to pay back," Focht said.

The crux of the anger comes from the belief by conservative free-marketeers that the stimulus and bailout plans have been used not to help the economy but to push what they label as "socialism."

"If, in fact, a stimulus was required, it should have been limited to areas of job creation. Instead, what we have is a bunch of left-wing agenda items that kicked in when the socialist agenda was approved," said Al Bienstock, a conservative Republican and Hampden Twp. commissioner.

Obama's response to the economy, plus the way that he handled Republicans during stimulus negotiations, has fueled distrust -- or worse.

Local Republicans are wary that agencies are only postponing economic hardship by accepting stimulus money now.

"I know he needs to do something with the economy, but I can see a lot of issues down the pike after the stimulus is done that does not look much better," said state Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Lower Allen Twp.

Obama is staking his American makeover on the idea that business-as-usual could no longer be sustained.

His supporters, such as York Mayor John Brenner, ask: What's the alternative?

"People said that about Franklin Roosevelt when the country was working through implementing the New Deal. There are a lot of similarities. But my question is: What if the president didn't do anything and let the normal market forces bring us back? The same folks in this country who are screaming about the stimulus and bailout would not have been pleased," Brenner said.

With 93 percent of Democrats approving of the way Obama is handling his job, it is tough to escape the chorus of praise being heaped upon the 44th president. Even some self-described conservative Republican activists said they understand the mood created by Obama.

"It has been a joyful 100 days and, at the same time, sobering," said Marilyn Ware, the former U.S. ambassador to Finland appointed by George W. Bush.

"I can tell you I disagree with him on issues: the excessive spending, the lack of debate between Congress and the White House. But he's certainly a bright man, and we all want our president to remain strong as possible," Ware said.