Story highlights President Obama: "The buck stops right here at my desk"

Obama says he wants to become a better salesman to push policy forward

Obama says the one message he took away from voters: they're tired of D.C. dysfunction

Days after the Democrats' brutal defeat in the midterm elections, President Obama said Sunday that he takes responsibility for his party's poor performance at the polls.

"The buck stops right here at my desk," the President said in an interview on CBS' Face the Nation. "And so whenever -- as the head of the party -- it doesn't do well, I've got to take responsibility for it."

Ahead of the election, Obama's approval rating was at presidential low, with more than half of all Americans saying they disapproved of the job the President was doing and only 41% saying they approved.

Vulnerable candidates in key battleground states made efforts to distance themselves from the commander-in-chief, with some publicly condemning his policies and others refusing his surrogacy on the campaign trail.

Photos: New members of Congress Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – In one of the few Democratic takeovers, Gwen Graham unseated two-term Republican Rep. Steve Southerland. She is the first woman to represent Florida's District 2 in the House. Hide Caption 1 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Mia Love is the first Republican African American woman ever elected in Congress. She will now represent Utah's District 2 in the House. Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Following a highly contested senate race, Rep. Tom Cotton managed to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor. He is the first Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran to serve in the Senate. Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – New York Republican Elise Stefanik just became the youngest woman ever elected in Congress. The 30 year old beat Democrat Aaron Wolf with a 20 percentage point margin. Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican Joni Ernst won the Iowa Senate seat, which formerly belonged to her Democratic challenger Bruce Braley. She is the first woman to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – David Rouzer became the first Republican in 140 years to represent North Carolina's District 7. He formerly served as a state legislator and lobbyist. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – After a highly contested senate race, Rep. Cory Gardner pushed ahead of Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Udall. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican Thom Tillis managed to edge ahead of North Carolina Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan following an aggresive neck-and-neck senate race. Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Rep. Shelley Moore Capito became West Virginia's first female senator after defeating Democrat Natalie Tennant on Tuesday. She is also the first Republican elected to the Senate in over 55 years. Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Mike Bost, known for his fiery rants as an Illinois state legislator, will now represent District 12 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Hide Caption 10 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – After losing his reelection two years ago, Republican Bob Dold will be heading back to D.C. representing Illinois' 11th District. Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – After serving as senator for New York's District 1 since 2002, Republican Lee Zeldin will represent the Long Island district on the national level. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds defeat his Democratic and Independent challengers for the state's open senate seat. Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Will Hurd, a former CIA officer, defeated incumbent Democrati Rep. Pete Gallego in Texas 23rd Congressional District race. Hide Caption 14 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican Cresent Hardy unexpectedly pulled ahead of Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, unseating the first term representative in Nevada's 4th District. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican Rob Blum has gone from businessman to holding public office after he won Iowa's 1st Congressional District race. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Rep. Steve Daines has become the first Republican to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate after Democrats controlled that seat for over a century. Daines, a former businessman, was elected to the House in 2012. Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican businessman Rick Allen ousted Democratic incumbent Rep. John Barrow from his Georgia District 12 seat. Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican Frank Guinta ousted Rep. Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire's 1st District. He formerly served as mayor of Manchester, NH. Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican John Katko's recent surge in the polls managed to lead him to victory in New York's 24th Congressional District. He unseated Democratic incumbent Rep. Dan Maffei. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – Republican Carlos Curbelo flipped a South Florida Democratic Congressional District. Curbelo managed to beat Democratic first- term incumbent Jose Garcia. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: New members of Congress New members of Congress – West Virginia State Sen. Evan Jenkins unseated Democratic incumbent Nick Rahall, who has represented District 3 for three decades. Hide Caption 22 of 22

Reflecting on what he could have done differently and what he will change moving forward, Obama says he will work harder to become a better salesman.

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"I think that one thing that I do need to constantly remind myself and my team of is it's not enough just to build a better mousetrap. People don't automatically come beating to your door. We've got to sell it," Obama said. "We've got to reach out to the other side and, where possible, persuade."

"I think that what you'll see is a constant effort to improve the way we deliver service to customers...experimenting with ways that I can reach out to Republicans more effectively. Making sure that we're reaching out and using the private sector more effectively."

Looking back, the President admits that he sometimes struggled to work politics into policy negotiations, a weakness that affected his ability to communicate his positions to members of the opposite party and to the American people.

"I think there are times -- there's no doubt about it -- where, you know, I think we have not been successful in going out there and letting people know what it is that we're trying to do and why this is the right direction," Obama said. "So there is a failure of politics there that we've got to improve on."

It's a somber moment for the former senator, who will lead his last two years in the Oval Office determining whether or not to veto or sign bills coming from a Republican-led Congress. In retrospect, he now says he is learning to become a better legislator-in-chief.

"One of the things we're learning is that there's a real power to being able to convene here in the White House. Not every problem has to be solved just through a bill. Just through legislation," Obama said.

The day following the midterms, the President addressed the country, saying he heard voters and their concerns through the polls. On Sunday, he detailed what that meant.

"The message that I took from this election, and we've seen this in a number of elections, successive elections, is people want to see this city work," Obama said. "They see Washington gridlocked and they're frustrated. And they know one person in Washington and that's the President of the United States."

Obama isn't the first, and won't be the last, president to see his party get swept in the final midterm elections during a two-term presidency. But now after witnessing his final election from the Oval Office, he says that he's realized "campaigning and governance are two different things."

"I've ran two successful campaigns," Obama said. "And anybody who's seen me on the campaign trail can tell how much I love just being with the American people. And hearing what they care about and how passionate I am about trying to help them."

"When you start governing there is a tendency sometimes, for me, to start thinking, 'As long as I get the policy right, then that's what should matter.' And people have asked, 'What do you need to do differently going forward?' And I think you do that gut check after every election."

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Photos: The new GOP power players Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. John McCain – Sen. John McCain is expected to become the next chairman of the Armed Services Committee. McCain is a vocal critic of President Obama for being too soft on foreign policy. If he assumes the position, he will likely push for ground troops in Syria and Iraq in an effort to defeat ISIS. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Thad Cochran – Sen. Thad Cochran is in line to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee. The Mississippi Republican will have major influence over government funding as he oversees 13 spending bills for the next fiscal year. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Jeff Sessions – Sen. Jeff Sessions is next in line to chair the Budget Committee. The Alabama senator is a budget hawk who is interested in cutting government spending and waste. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. John Thune – Sen. John Thune is set to chair the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. He would focus on business and trade legislation and oversight. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Lisa Murkowski – Sen. Lisa Murkowski would lead Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She is expected to push to lift the ban on exporting crude oil and build support for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Jim Inhofe – Sen. Jim Inhofe is in position to head the Environment and Public Works Committee. The Oklahoma Republican has voiced his skepticism against climate change claims, calling it "the most-media hyped environmental issue." Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Orrin Hatch – Sen. Orrin Hatch will lead the powerful tax-writing Finance Committee during a year many senators are clamoring to overhaul the tax code. He also has major influence on the Affordable Care Act and Medicare and Social Security. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Bob Corker – Sen. Bob Corker will head the Foreign Relations Committee. He's been a chief critic of the White House on Syria and Iran but has also shown a willingness to work with President Obama. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Ron Johnson – Sen. Ron Johnson will lead the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. A critic of the administration's handling of Benghazi, the Wisconsin Republican is likely to conduct another investigation. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Lamar Alexander – Sen. Lamar Alexander is set to be the next chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. He is a proponent for education reform and would likely push to decrease government intervention in state education systems. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Chuck Grassley – Sen. Chuck Grassley will become the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee. If Obama waits until next year to nominate a new attorney general, Grassley would play a key role in the confirmation process. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Richard Burr – Sen. Richard Burr is a likely candidate for two chairmanship positions. He is currently the ranking member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, but is also the next in line to chair the Intelligence Committee and has expressed interest in that panel. He has yet to decide which post he will take. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Johnny Isakson – If Sen. Burr does not accept the Veteran Affairs Committee chairmanship, Sen. Johnny Isakson is rumored to take up the gavel. The Georgian has served on the committee since 2011. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. James Risch – Sen. James Risch will likely lead the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. If Sen. Burr decides not to chair the Intelligence Committee, the Idaho Republican would be the next in line. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Richard Shelby – Sen. Richard Shelby will become the chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, a position he held from 2003 to 2007. He is a critic of the Dodd-Frank Act. Hide Caption 15 of 15

In hindsight, Obama acknowledges that his critics were fair to condemn him for not trying hard enough to work with Republicans, saying he could have pushed harder to negotiate and get things done.

"I think that what is also true is that no matter how frustrating it can sometimes be for any president to deal with an opposition that is, you know, pretty stubborn and where there are really strong differences, you've just got to keep on trying."

But one thing you can expect to see change -- according to the President -- in the next two years, is a shake-up at the White House.

"We will be bringing in new folks here because people get tired, you know, it's a hard job," he said. "And what I've told everybody is, you know, I want you to have as much enthusiasm and energy on the last day of this administration as you do right now or you did when you first started. Otherwise you shouldn't be here."