100 Days to Decide: What to Expect Before November

What to expect in the next 100 days:

1. Less congressional activity. Members of Congress worried about their re-election prospects won't want to be inside the Beltway going into the home stretch. They'll want to be back in their districts, touting their accomplishments, convincing voters that while the rest of Congress stinks, they are really looking out for them and the best choice for the November mid-term.

2. Negative campaigns. The Democrats have passed significant legislation this year, but those laws are distinctly unpopular; therefore, they have to run on the past. They can't run on hope this year -- instead, they'll run on fear. Republicans will draw the contrast with the unpopularity of the current administration and Democratically-led Congress, but it will be hard for them to make their case as the president will dominate the news cycles. So, the GOP will have to try harder and find other ways to communicate than just through the media (they are getting much better at this).

3. A crisis. Every August, just when everybody wants to take a breather, something happens. In 2005 it was Hurricane Katrina; in 2008, it was the financial crisis as the banking sector was falling apart. You can't plan for it -- but it will always happen and it will require the federal government to be responsive and effective. It's critical for the Democrats they don't screw this one up ... and nobody knows what it'll be yet.

Dana Perino is a Fox News contributor and a former White House press secretary. 

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