Obama turns grassroots group against Bayh

President Obama has turned his grassroots campaign, Organizing for America, against Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh, a member of his own party.

OFA sent an e-mail to Indiana residents on Wednesday asking them to phone Republican Rep. Steve Buyer, Republican Sen. Richard Lugar and Democratic Sen. Bayh to let them "know where you stand on President Obama's budget."

Bayh has been one of the Democratic party's most outspoken members against President Obama's spending, penning a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal to outline his opposition to the $410 billion omnibus bill that  Obama signed. He also announced last week that he is leading a 15-member working group of moderate Senate Democrats. Bayh said the group was informally called "the practical caucus."

This action by OFA exposes a rift within the Democratic party between those supporting Obama's sweeping reforms and those Democrats from traditionally "purple" and "red" states, or those who are up for election in 2010, who are growing uncomfortable with the president's agenda.