Pelosi clung to her perch atop the House Democrats after devastating midterm elections swept her party from power in the chamber. But without the Speaker's gavel, she has struggled to remain relevant in a policy debate that became a two-way conversation between President Obama and ascendant House Republicans. She's focused instead on party-building efforts outside the Beltway, laying the groundwork for what Democrats hope will be a return to power in 2013.
