No one threw more political chips on the table than the California Democrat during the yearlong struggle to pass the bill — or gambled more going into November. And over the next seven months, Pelosi must now defend not just her party but her speakership, knowing that if Democrats lose power, she will almost certainly face a leadership challenge if not outright pressure to resign…

“She’s pretty much expecting that this will right the ship,” said a top Pelosi adviser of the health care vote. “To her, this is going to change everything.”

‘I think it’s already begun to turn around,” answered Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). “Once this bill is enacted, it’s not ‘Armageddon’ … there are no death panels. People’s views of this will change.”