“The only person who ever asks me about it is, I think, the media,” said freshman Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.). “When you got the highest unemployment, highest foreclosures and highest bankruptcy, social issues right now take a back seat to putting food on the table.”

The shift in emphasis to economic issues, the departure of iconic GOP cultural warriors such as Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), and polling showing that the American public has become more comfortable with same-sex unions have all combined to push the matter off the congressional plate.

There’s simply no percentage in making it a top priority — or even an item on the agenda — many Republicans say…

On top of that, some of the fresh crop of Republicans who arrived as a result of the 2010 tea-party surge would rather let the states deal with marriage — and their elections were driven more by pocketbook than social issues.