Article snippet: Facing the toughest threat to her long and historic tenure as the top House Democrat, Rep. MORE (Calif.) has made enormous strides in recent days to rally support for her Speakership bid and grind down the small but determined group of insurgents battling to prevent her from seizing the gavel next year. Pelosi has tapped her deep network of allies, both in and out of Congress, to launch a ferocious public relations campaign designed to browbeat her critics with the unsubtle suggestion that their efforts are futile. At the same time, she’s been working behind closed doors, offering carrots to opponents who jump to her side. The efforts paid huge dividends this week, when Pelosi picked off two of her most vocal detractors, Reps. MORE (D-N.Y.), striking a fierce blow to the opposition campaign heading into Thanksgiving — and all but assuring the momentum will remain hers through the long holiday weekend. To be sure, Pelosi still faces a conspicuous math problem, as roughly 20 detractors remain adamant that they’ll oppose her in the January Speaker vote. But in the eyes of Pelosi’s allies, the strategic cajoling — combined with a show of simple raw force — are all part of a return to the Speakership that many deem inevitable. “What we are seeing this week is a demonstration of what all of Washington knows: @NancyPelosi does not come to play,” Neera Tanden, the head of the Center for American Progress and a Pelosi supporter, tweeted Wednesday. The picture was bleak... Link to the full article to read more