Gay Marriage No Longer Inevitable?

Ben Smith at Politico posted a story Wednesday morning that delineates the recent setbacks for the marriage equality movement, and asks whether the scorecard puts the inevitability of same-sex marriage, once widely presumed, in serious doubt.

Smith notes that 2009 began with euphoria in Iowa and in the Northeast as marriage equality was achieved, only to see it recently repealed in Maine, rejected in New York, and facing an uncertain vote in New Jersey on Thursday.

"The same-sex marriage movement appears likely to end a banner year with a string of stinging defeats that opponents say have undermined a core proposition of the movement -- that the acceptance of gay marriage is, sooner or later, inevitable," writes Smith.

Read the analysis here.