President Barack Obama is deploying his Cabinet across the nation in an effort to calm the public as Democrats head into midterm elections.

A weeklong push to highlight the stimulus program’s first year was beginning with a trip yesterday by Vice President Joe Biden to visit Michigan to tour a jobs training program and a solar factory that both received Recovery Act dollars.  Biden is expected to urge Congress to pass a jobs bill to aid some of the 8.4M people who have lost their jobs.

Obama’s Democrat colleagues planned to support programs employing people under the $787B spending bill.  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was touring a medical center in Georgia on Tuesday; Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was advocating stimulus projects in Virgina and Texas.

In all, senior administration officials are supposed to visit 35 communities before Friday to counter GOP claims the program has failed.  Obama plans to surround himself in Washington today with people who are employed due to the plan, then move on to Colorado and Nevada.

Obama’s political team is convinced that the projects across the nation could help Democrats ward off encouraged Republicans and their efforts to reclaim majorities in Congress.  Although voters have soured on the spending, individual components have bipartisan fans.

The tax cuts Democrats included in their bill have the backing of 70% of the public, according to a CNN poll in January.  Another 80% support the infrastructure investments, such as the water projects Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson plans to promote in Ohio tomorrow.

Notwithstanding, 56% of the public opposes the basic plan, according to the poll.

Biden is expected to give Obama a report Wednesday assessing the stimulus’ effects.

cf http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100216/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_stimulus_defense