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Could a Hawaiian-born community organizer on the south side of Chicago have much in common with a Hudson Valley-born former assistant secretary of the Navy?

According to Jonathan Alter, a senior columnist for Newsweek and a contributor to MSNBC, the two -- President Barack Obama and former President Franklin D. Roosevelt -- have more in common than most people realize.

"[Obama] shares Roosevelt's rise for action," Alter told an audience at the Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County May 3.

The JCC held its second annual Sundays at the "J" series, where Alter, who recently released his book, "The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope," spoke about FDR and Obama in their first 100 days in office.

The first 100 days in office for all presidents are crucial, he said; however for Obama and FDR they were scrutinized heavily because of the difficult economic climate in both cases. Alter said when FDR took office in 1933, the stock market was down 90 percent, unemployment was at 25 percent, the New York Stock Exchange had closed for the first time in American history, and most of the banks were closed.

"He was able to lift people up and restore their hope," Alter said. "He had restored people's faith in the system."

Roosevelt displayed great leadership because he had the vision and the ability to communicate his views and beliefs to the American people, Alter said. He was one of the first presidents to hold a fireside chat on the radio, and the American people adored him.

Prior to FDR's first term as president, 10,000 banks closed, he said. At the time, if a person put their money into a bank and the bank closed, then that person's money went with the bank.

"As banks reopened people re-deposited money because they had faith in [FDR]," he said.

Both Obama and FDR made the same mistake, Alter said. Roosevelt created the National Recovery Association whose main effort was for the government to regulate the economy. Both presidents shared one belief: action is needed because actions speak louder than words.

"[Obama] was determined to hit the ground running," he said. "He is conveying what he calls 'action now'."

Alter said Obama spent more on public spending than former President Clinton did. Obama is simply doing what needs to be done because during a recession people must spend.

He said Obama told reporters: "We will do what works."

There are many problems with Obama's bank rescue plan, Alter said. The government needs to figure out what to do with large banks like Bank of America and Citi Bank, he said.

"I don't think it's going to work," he said.

The Obama government stands strongly behind Israel and opposes anyone that is a threat to them, Alter said. He said most people in the world understand that people in countries like Iran aren't killers, but rather it's their leaders that are. Although Roosevelt was highly criticized for closing immigration for Jews that were fleeing Nazi Germany, Alter suggested that Roosevelt at least get credit for finally joining the war and helping the Allies defeat the Nazis.

The Obama administration plans to increase the number of primary care physicians, he said. He said comprehensive immigration reform is unlikely in the near future. Obama plans to create direct lending, which will make college loans less costly as the middleman between the lender and the borrower is taken out, Alter said.

"He handled the Big Three (Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford) well," he said. "Why shouldn't people who lose everything be helped?"

Ultimately, Obama has helped restore confidence in the American people and will improve the economy as the government has more regulation on businesses, Alter said.

"We were very privileged to have had the opportunity to have Jonathan Alter come to our JCC, speaking from his wisdom and experience," Dorothy Rubinstein, executive director of the JCC, said.

Gloria Schrager, of Westfield, said Alter was an amazing speaker and she enjoyed it very much. He had a unique and interesting way of analyzing and interpreting the problems that both Obama and FDR faced, she said.

"It gave us a much greater perspective of what Obama is facing," Schrager said.