Politics, like war, features a massive disconnect between the theory and the reality. If you want to understand politics, then you have to do politics.

If you wonder why its important to get on a plane and hold a sign on the mall in Washington, or drive down to the your Congressperson's district office to do the same thing, Byron York explains it all to you.

"The thing that Pelosi has going for her right now is that a lot of her members are more afraid of her than they are of their constituents," says the GOP insider. He notes that Pelosi has plenty of weapons to make life miserable for members who cross her -- "any benefits the member can have for the remainder of this Congress, the kind of support they'll have going into next year's election, and if they lose, what kind of post-Congress opportunities they will have." All could be endangered by a vote against the health care bill.

The interesting thing about politics in this country is that Pelosi's power is entirely contingent on voter apathy--that whole low information voter thing I've been talking about. Without an energized and informed electorate, money and high-power endorsements win the day.

Right now in Washington D.C., dozens of Democrat elected-officials are trying to determine who has the power--Nancy Pelosi or you and I.