(CNN) -- As 2013 comes to a close, the conventional wisdom is grim: Immigration reform is dead. Expectations ran high; this was supposed to be the year. The President promised action, and the 2012 elections drove home the political imperative. But then, after struggling mightily, Congress failed to get it done -- again. It hardly matters whether you blame the President, House Republicans or the immigration-reform movement. There's still nothing to show for the year. â€ŽBut once again, as so often with immigration, the conventional wisdom is wrong. Politics isn't baseball. The end of the year isn't the end of an inning, wiping out all gains that don't deliver a man across home plate. Passing landmark legislation is more like long-distance running: Momentum builds over the long haul, and progress is cumulative. From that perspective, 2013 was a banner year for immigration reform, and we could still win. Congress could pass a far-reaching immigration overhaul -- in 2014.
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Tamar Jacoby: At 2013 end, immigration reform seems dead, but it's not
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She says the year brought big progress, support from CEOs, evangelicals, even GOP
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She says change slow, but tectonic, likely won't include citizenship, but legal status
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Jacoby: Can House GOP, Dems compromise? It will be tricky, but momentum building
But there's no question: @placeholder is building in the House -- 2014 could be the year.