The Long View - US Mid-term Elections

Jonathan Freedland searches for the past behind the present in Washington DC, comparing this year's US mid-term elections with those of 1982. Then, as now, the economy was on the ropes, unemployment was high and a President once lauded as a great communicator saw his approval ratings slide. With Washington's political pundits and players, Jonathan explores the issues at the heart of the 2010 and 1982 elections, the changing fortunes of Democrats and Republicans and the significance of the mid-terms for Presidents Reagan and Obama. Producer: Julia Johnson.