Maine’s status as a hotbed of presidential campaigning was on display Thursday when separate gatherings brought together supporters of both President Bush and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry.

The big topic of discussion on each side was the U.S. economy. Maine Bush supporters said they feel the economy is headed in the right direction and that the president has shouldered too much criticism from the media.

“The economy is on track, we’ve had the fastest growth in the past 20 years and a lot of business executives expect increase in employment,” said Harry Rideout, who hosted a small group of Bush supporters at his Hermon home as part of the second National Party for the President Day.

State Kerry supporters feel Bush has lost sight of the common people by perpetuating an economy that benefits only the elite.

“Bush is building an economy that only benefits big corporations; he’s failed to take responsibility for [job losses],” said Sen. Steve Stanley, D-Medway, who spoke at a gathering of Kerry supporters at the Greater Bangor Area Central Labor Council in Brewer.

The message in Brewer was that Kerry would do a better job than Bush when it comes to restoring economic balance, creating jobs in Maine and assuring better health care coverage.

A handful of displaced Eastern Fine Paper Co. workers and local legislators met in Brewer to criticize Bush for promising jobs when he was elected and not following through.

Maine has lost nearly 17,000 manufacturing jobs since Bush took office in 2001, and while only a few laid-off workers showed up Thursday, those there had plenty to say.

“When this mill went down, I lost everything,” former Eastern Fine Paper worker Mike Woodbury said. “I’m now one of 43 million people without health insurance. I urge every one of those people to vote for John Kerry.”

“I don’t understand how sending jobs overseas helps us out,” said Joy Royal-Nevers, an electrician for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers No. 1837, who has lost several contracting jobs as a result of mill closings.

Meanwhile, back in Hermon, a dozen or so Bush supporters listened to a live conference call from first lady Laura Bush, who spoke in support of her husband as part of the president’s grass-roots campaign.

Nearly 7,000 similar gatherings took place across the nation, according to the first lady, who reassured listeners that the economy was indeed on track.

“When [my husband] makes a promise, he delivers on it,” she said. “He has made successful efforts to turn around our economy.”

The Rideouts said criticism toward President Bush regarding the economy is unfounded and that Kerry supporters are just looking for someone to blame when it comes to job losses. Harry Rideout said the burden of creating jobs should fall on businesses, not on the government.

“The executives of these companies have said they would increase employment in the next six months or so,” Rideout said.

Workers such as Woodbury, who worked for 26 years at Eastern Fine Paper before he was laid off, disagree and think Bush has gone too far to alienate workers like him.

“Any change is good,” Woodbury said.