At this point, the left is set to lose the House of Representatives and their chances of retaining the Senate are not at all guaranteed. Indeed, last month it became apparent the Democrats know they are cruisin’ for a bruisin’ and have begun the process of limiting the damage. However, we still cannot count them out as it is clear they will be doing their level best to retain at least a semblance of influence over the federal government. I’m going to lay out what I think the Democrats will do to put themselves in as favorable a position as possible.

Let’s start with the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden has had an awful first year in office, and his approval ratings are a clear indicator of how the public is perceiving his performance so far. Going into 2022, the president’s approval ratings remain at 43.3 percent among “likely or registered voters” according to FiveThirtyEight, which also found 52.2 percent disapprove of his presidency.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ approval ratings aren’t faring much better. A Gallup poll conducted in November placed her numbers at 44 percent. Slightly better than Biden’s, but definitely not an optimal outcome for Harris, who has struggled to carve out a favorable role for herself in the White House.

Given how things proceeded last year, it is no surprise the American public is not viewing this administration in a positive light. The president and his team have managed to bungle nearly every single problem with which they have been faced. The White House, under Biden’s leadership, has failed to come up with viable solutions to the various crises that have presented themselves.

The migrant crisis remains a serious issue, as the Biden administration has failed to offer a viable solution to diminish the number of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants swarming the southern border. The disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal has created a situation that is still ongoing as hundreds of Americans and Afghan allies remain trapped in the country. While there has been positive news about the economy, people are still being hit hard by record-level inflation and a supply chain crisis.

President Biden will not be on the ballot in November, but this does not mean he won’t still be trying to reverse his approval ratings problem. One of the glaring aspects of his presidency has been his inability to get Congress on board with his Build Back Better agenda. Despite taking a hatchet to most of the radical leftist proposals in the original bill, Democrats have been unable to find a workable solution. The fact that Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have been pushing back on much of the bill’s excesses has caused no small amount of frustration for Democrats in Congress.

This year, we can look for Biden to focus like a laser on getting at least some version of the Build Back Better Act through Congress. If it passes, it will be a stripped-down shadow of the original proposal, but it will be something he can point to and say, “yeah, we did that.”

We can also look for this president to focus on some of the other priorities he listed while on the campaign trail. He will probably resurrect the immigration and gun control issues he spoke about early in 2021. Democrats have already failed to push through his amnesty plan for the millions of illegal immigrants who have already been residing in the country. But it would be no surprise if he takes up the cause once again, even if it means pushing a watered-down version of his original proposal.

When it comes to gun ownership, it is doubtful that Biden has given up on trying to make it more difficult for responsible Americans to own firearms. While the left has been unsuccessful at imposing stricter laws regulating guns, the president has remained steadfast in his stance. With the tide shifting in the gun debate towards those favoring gun rights, he may seek executive actions to further limit gun ownership, which could end up becoming an issue that is hotly contested in the courts.

But what about the Democratic Party in general?

The Democrats, for their part, will be focused on salvaging as many congressional races and state-level positions as possible. But they too, have serious baggage that will undoubtedly hinder their success. Many of the issues that are staining the Biden presidency are also hitting the Democratic Party writ large. But when you add skyrocketing crime rates and debates over education into the equation, it becomes clear they too are in a precarious situation.

The Democrats, along with their close friends and allies in the activist media, will have some serious problems convincing voters to give them another chance. At this point, they have little to run on and much to be criticized for. At this point, the Democrats have only a two-pronged strategy they can employ over the next 11 months: continue milking the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol for all it’s worth and try to use former President Donald Trump as a means to distract the public.

Indeed, as you read this, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning a series of events to commemorate the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. The House Select Committee will continue its witch hunt investigation to help the activist media keep the incident in the news as much as possible to continue trying to convince the public that the right is full of looneys who like to ransack federal buildings.

Even though some Democrats have warned against it, the left is still going to try to make Trump the boogeyman. They will attempt to paint every conservative candidate as another iteration of the Mean Orange Man™ to scare voters into supporting Democrats. Even though they realize this method failed in Virginia’s gubernatorial election, they just can’t help themselves.

To put it simply, the Democrats are in a desperate situation, so they will take desperate measures. Unfortunately for them, unless the GOP manages to do something incredibly stupid, their chances for success are almost nil.