IOWA: Hate Groups Concede That Their Battle To Overturn Marriage Is Failing

ABC News reports that even Iowa's most ardent opponents to same-sex marriage are glumly conceding that the likelihood of a repeal is fading away.

The shifting views come as a bitter disappointment for the state's prominent Christian conservative community which has long bridled at Iowa's status as a gay rights haven in the heartland — the only place outside the Northeast where gays can marry. "People are getting comfortable with it and that's a shame to tell you the truth," said Susan Geddes, an Iowa Republican and social conservative organizer who worked for Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign in the state. Even Republicans seem to be more accepting, said Julie Summa marketing director for The Family Leader, a social conservative advocacy group. She and other evangelical leaders attribute the change to libertarian Republicans, like supporters Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who oppose restrictions on personal freedoms. The issue is less prominent now in conservative campaigns, they said.

Cue the sad trombone.