What constitutes a game plan for the president? Conversations with Democrats, some who know Obama well, suggest the White House will pursue some tested strategies designed to offset Republican enthusiasm and give embattled Democratic candidates a better chance of avoiding defeat. Some will be highly visible; others will not be.

The first priority will be to continue to do what Obama has been doing, which is to carry out an aggressive fundraising schedule. No one can raise money better than a sitting president, and Obama’s willingness to attend fundraisers at recent times when the world was in flames gives everyone a clear sense of the political priority Democrats put on keeping him on schedule.

A second strategy will come later this fall. One administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about internal matters said targeted messages, aimed at key constituencies, would be employed as the election nears. Think of it as the next chapter in “Between Two Ferns,” the online comedy series Obama used successfully in the spring to recruit young people to sign up for the Affordable Care Act.