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Her House Divided

The most powerful female politician in the country now teeters between long-term victory and instant defeat.

A A A Comments By Sasha Abramsky Wednesday, Aug 25 2010

These days, with currents of discontent swirling through the body politic, the Republican Party is hoping to use the same strategy to bring down Pelosi and, by extension, to weaken Obama. "Congress has totally overstepped its authority and is getting into areas it has no business being in," Walsh says. "The most obvious is health care." Pelosi, she argues, has foisted "2,500 pages of pure bureaucracy" on the country, and voters will make Democrats pay come November. "We have to get the country back, and more on its original bearings. People are just so upset at the irresponsible spending."

Pelosi, by contrast, is now the one hoping to refocus voters' attentions on local candidates and their political priorities. She knows which candidates will benefit from her presence on the campaign trail and which ones need her to fade into the background — to provide funds but no visible support. That was the strategy her advisers employed this spring in rural Pennsylvania, and it worked. Despite bleak poll numbers and a flurry of GOP ads seeking to link the Democratic candidate to Pelosi and other bogeymen for the conservative base, the Democrat won.

Scott Anderson

Josh Edelson

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi puts a game face on the state of politics as she speaks at Treasure Island.

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If Pelosi gambles correctly, she will have secured her reputation. If she doesn't, Congress could swing dramatically to the right; many of the reforms of the past few years could be undone; and the reforms still to be enacted will quickly bite the dust.

Longtime Pelosi watchers see it as a fight she has been gearing up for her entire life. "She's a Mother Superior," Eshoo says. "She's a political thoroughbred. She was born and bred in a house that blended faith and politics. She may be only 100 pounds, but I have a city in my district — Palo Alto — which means 'tall tree.' She's a tall tree."

Alex Wolens provided additional reporting for this story.