Why Democrats are hurting

With the midterm elections just a week away, many Democrats are scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.

After Barack Obama's election in 2008, many in the party thought that they were on the cusp of a new era in American politics. Republicans, and the conservative philosophy that had shaped their party for several decades, seemed to be in retreat.

Yet less than years later, Republicans are on the verge of recapturing control of the House of Representatives and maybe the Senate. President Obama's approval ratings have slid since his first year, while Republicans are now looking forward to the election of 2012.