GOP losing on social issues like marijuana reform and same-sex marriage

>> let's get right to our panel now. goldie taylor is an msnbc contributor. cristal ball is my colleague and one of the hosts of "the cycle." and jimy williams is a democratic strategist. if i can start with you, we just saw some forward thinking from fox news on washington state 's decision to decriminalize marijuana. obviously they don't approve, but a majority according to a poll this week are in favor, 51%. stepping away for a moment from the legal issues, did the republicans not just fail to understand the demographics of america this election but also the generation al changes that have occurred in this country?

>> well, absolutely they have, and they also underestimated that young people would actually go and vote, and i think one of the trends, frankly, that surprised a lot of people in this election is that young voters made up a larger percent of the electorate this time around than they did in 2008 . so this is a group who's not going away. they had very clear views. it's remarkable how different their views on things like same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization are from their elders, and i think as we move over time, it's sort of inevitable that the country is going to move in that direction because not only are they more and more coming of age , there's also a feedback loop where they're also talking to their parents and talking to their grand patients and changing attitudes on their own.

>> goldie , the seattle police department has a unique way of addressing the issue. on its official website it explains the law telling people to please keep it indoors and it ends by saying, and remember, folks, the dude abides, and so can you, with a picture of jeff bridges from "the big lewbowski."

>> weed busts really put a tax on law enforcement . you have to pull somebody over, if you find a bong or something else, there's an arrest, probably a misdemeanor. there really is a draining of police resources but i'll tell you where the money is being made. it's being made in the court system on the fiennes. so there is no grand rush to legitimize or legalize marijuana frankly because the penal system is profiting from it. i'll tell you what else is happening. some kids are being convicted of misdemeanors, low level felonies, and it's ruining their lives. they're not able to get jobs or federal student aid for school and those kind of things. i'm the biggest truther there is on some of this stuff, but if you're smoking it in your house, i just think it's your business.

>> what does the federal government do?

>> the federal government considered pot the same as lsd and heroin.

>> same classification of drug.

>> heroin. i didn't even know heroin still existed. apparently it still does. and pot does, too. the difference is you can grow heroin in your backyard. you can grow it --

>> grow marijuana you mean.

>> i'm sorry, grow marijuana in your backyard.

>> i don't know that much about heroin but i don't think that's how it works.

>> he wants to grow marijuana. okay.

>> let me be clear, i didn't make that mistake because i have been smoking anything, i have not, no. it's farcical. this is a generation al issue and the obama administration is going to have to gibe at some point on its theory of law. i think a couple days the u.s. attorney in washington said the federal law trumps what you guys are going. people are going to say no, enough. and the obama administration just started ramping up prosecutions of this. this is unusual for me.

>> yeah. do you agree, goldie ?

>> i do, except heroin is making a comeback and that's really unfortunate. but do i think the legalization of marijuana will increase its usage, i don't. people who want to partake, are already partaking. so i think that we ought to just remove the gloves, let people do what they want to do in the privacy of their own homes. free up our police to direct their things to things that are much more important. these people aren't going to get in the car and drive. hell, they can't even kind their far keys after a good joint. so the issue really is about criminalizing things and making a pathway for our young boys , chiefly boys, from the high school straight to prison. that pipeline is as straight as it's ever been.

>> krystal, another change versus just a few years ago, same-sex marriage. here are the nine states plus d.c. where it is legal, another five states allow civil unions . you can see them there. poll numbers show it's growing in acceptance as well. what's happened here?

>> there has been a remarkable change in acceptance, and i think it's been sort of, you know --

>> but is it because those who have fought for this right have cast it as a civil right?

>> i think that's definitely part of it, and pop culture is a big part of it. as, you know, seeing same-sex couples has become more normal, more mainstream. people are used to see it and more gay couples feel comfortable telling people around them this is who i am, this is my family. that really changes mores. there was already a huge generational gap but now we're seeing major shifts through all generations. for first time white catholics support -- a majority of white catholics support same-sex marriage.

>> marco rubio was asked about his views on same-sex marriage. let me play you what he said. here he is.

>> is homosexuality a sin?

>> i can tell you what faith teaches and the faith teaches it is. as a policymaker, you know, i could just tell you that i'm informed by my faith and my faith informs me in who i am as a person, but not as a way to pass judgment on people.

>> okay. so rubio says his faith informs him that its a sin but he's not going to cast judgment on others. he's not going to point the finger, but can rubio fight an election in that fudge given what's happening in the country?

>> well, he can run for president but i'm not sure he can be elected president in four years under that scenariscenario. my gay republican friends will tell you it's not an issue. here is the bottom line, it is an issue. it's an issue because in 2004 george bush won the presidency over john kerry on this issue. it's still an issue for gay republicans . if you think that it's not a civil right, if you think that in the last election that this issue was not debated, it was debated heatedly. when you take away a civil right, then you're taking away people's equality. when you give them a civil right, you're giving them equality. that's the difference. the republicans don't see it that way. they have to figure out a way -- they talk about a big tent and talk is nice but it means nothing unless you put it in your party platform . it means nothing when you say, i think you should have everything i have just not call it the same thing. separate but equal is not okay for the democrats and it's not okay for the republicans. until rubio around those people that are contenders for 2016 on the republican side get that through their thick heads, saying his faith teaches him that, does he understand that it's just as mortal of a sin according to the bible, according to leviticus, that if you eat shellfish your going to hell. i'm but shrimp and grits does not make you go to hell. okay?

>> that's a bold stance.

>> i won't challenge your understanding of la vit tus. jimmy, cold goldie , krystal. thank you.