BURLINGTON, Vt. -
As President Barack Obama left the stage, supporters gushed about their opportunity to see the country's commander in chief command the stage.
"I always think he's wonderful, and I was just thrilled to be here. I liked every word he said," supporter Nancy Ragle said.
"I thought it was cool. It was fun," supporter Campbell Whalen said.
"It's inspiring to have a person like President Obama who is willing to fight for the average American," supporter Mary Brown-Guillory said.
The speech even captivated fellow politicians, like Burlington's mayor-elect Miro Weinberger, and Speaker of the Vermont House Shap Smith.
"It was one of the great thrills of my life, Kyle. What a wonderful thing for the city, for the state to have the president here. To have this president here was great," said Weinberger, D-Burlington mayor-elect.
"People were really fired up, the energy was incredible. I think people understand the importance of this election. We're either going to move forward or go backward," said Smith, D-Vt. House Speaker.
Supporters say they stand with the president on health care reform, bringing the troops home, and education reform.
But not everyone had kind words for the president; much of the criticism came from the left.
"I don't support this man who I actually did vote for the first time, but I find his policies have been as bad or worse than Bush's," protester Peggy Luhrs said.
"My message is where's the change," protester David Buckingham said.
About 50 protesters gathered throughout the city as they chanted slogans. Many say President Obama hasn't made due on his campaign promises. The president did concede transformation has been slow, but he says, big change needs time to gather momentum.
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