Road Trippin'

The Big O is hitting the road today, heading to Missouri and Nevada to tout stimulus success stories, and to stump for Senate Dems.

With Democrats facing uphill battles in the November elections, Obama is combining a couple of economy-focused events Thursday and Friday with a campaign swing on behalf of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Missouri Senate hopeful Robin Carnahan.

Reid is in trouble in his bid for a fifth term, with unemployment sky-high in Nevada and Republicans working furiously to unseat him. Carnahan, Missouri's secretary of state, represents a chance for a much-needed Democratic pickup of the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Kit Bond.

Obama will aim to energize their supporters Thursday with a sharply partisan message he's been honing of late.

The man who pledged during his campaign to bridge partisan divides has begun playing into them as his party claws for political advantage. Obama's been singling out individual Republican House members for comments he says show they care more about corporations than people.

Ahead of Thursday's trip, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said voters could expect to hear Obama repeat his attacks on Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who had to apologize for apologizing to BP PLC, the primary owner of the blown-out well spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and House Minority Leader John Boehner, who contends his metaphor likening the financial crisis to an "ant" is being twisted by Democrats.

"Obviously, we're getting much, much closer to the fall elections, and the president will have, will do more things leading up to that," Gibbs said. "He has been very involved in raising money and in making an argument."

Fired-up campaign mode Obama is at least more interesting and less damaging than "Begging Republicans for votes" Obama. We'll see how it goes.  The Missouri Senate race is going to be razor thin either way, but Nevada I'd have to say Sharron Angle is her own worst enemy.  We'll see.