Joe Biden is entering the White House with the weakest mandate in history. His campaign made no great promises, had no great themes, and cleverly kept the candidate hidden in his basement, away from any pesky reporter who might dare to ask a difficult question.

Winning presidential campaigns usually come with some coattails in the first term, but the Democrats almost lost the House this time around, an unprecedented result.

For House Republicans, this poses a difficult strategic choice: Do they obstruct everything that the weakened House majority throws at them and risk being called “do-nothing Republicans” or do they find ways to cooperate on issues that could benefit them and their new members, many of whom will be facing their own tough reelection campaigns?

I believe that the Republicans need to both create a positive agenda that can capture the imagination of the voters and paint a dark picture of what continued Democratic dominance would mean to America’s families and their livelihoods.