i want to bring in ralph reid. good to see you, ralph. good morning. >> good to see you. >> let me get your take on this. and where you think that this will come down. i mean, this -- this conversation has not gone away in the last week or so. obviously it continues to be something that is of great concern, both to the left and to the right. tell me a little bit about your reaction, reaction you have heard in your community to the president's decision. >> well, i think it is really inexplicable on a lot of levels. you start with the obvious fact which is if you look at all the polling, you know, somewhere between 50 and 70% of the american people say that their number one concern is jobs and the economy. you have had unemployment over 8% important 39 months in a row, for 32 of the months it has been over 9%. this is the most anemic and weakest recovery from a recession since the great depressi depression. >> is your suggestion that this is kind of irrelevant in terms of voting and in terms of fund-raising? >> i didn't say that, chris. wha

ralph reid said this is unanticipated gift to the romney campaign.ly to fuel a record turnout of voters of faith to the polls. >> there are voters of faith who don't believe in mitt romney's faith either. >> yeah, it will be interesting. this is going to activate the base on both parts. there could be really record turnout on this -- in fact the president pointing the generational aspects. >> when i go to college campuses i sometimes talk to republicans that think i have terrible on foreign or the economy, but are very clear when it comes to same-sex equality -- or sexual orientation, that they believe in equality. they are much more comfortable with it. >> yeah. that's the other thing. it may activate -- people are saying young people won't come out in the same numbers as last time. now we're see. >> also have i breaking news for you -- [ nbc "nightly news" theme ] >> rob reiner next hour. >> oh. okay. >> i'm multi-tasking here. >> did you get that courtney. get -- >> yeah, at current tv, they are business illy changing the chi ron -- shall we right

just that pals like ralph reid gary bauer i saw him on t.v. yesterday.they are all promoting the same non-sense they promoted 20 years ago. >> gary fowler. >> gary bauer. ref rend berry lynn is our guest. this issue faith and politics, we have been struggling with this for the last 250 years. and even more so today perhaps. 866-55-press. your comments and the right-wing religious right is back with a vengeance. trying to elect mitt romney. we will be right back and take your calls. >> this is the full court press, the bill press show, live on your radio and on current tv. lieutenant governor of california, and former mayor of san francisco is coming to current tv. >>every night on cable news networks everyone's focusing on what's wrong. i want this show to move past that. i love creative people, and with all the vexing problems we have we need creative thinking. >>(narrator) with interviews with notables from silicon valley, hollywood, and beyond. >>at the end of the day this show's simple. it's about ideas. ideas are the best politics. ideas can bring u

but the point is, the other side ralph reid was ecstatic.t a gift to the christian coalition. it was not without risk to do something like this. >> we see it in the polls right now obviously there is a price to be paid. yeah he is a politician. >> that's why you enter politics because. >> yeah. you react to what the public wants. if he is testing the winds, i am okay with that as long as when you come out you stay with your principles and clearly, he is pro-gay marriage. >> i am going to let jerry have the last word as our special chief justice? >> thank you. i love the robes we get. >> we are working on that. >> when we come back we will have a special power panel discussion on whether democrats actually want to lose sometimes. we have interesting evidence to that effect. >> if it ever needed changing, it's been abused abused and [ kristal ] we're just taking a sample of all our different items in our festival of shrimp. the crab-stuffed shrimp are awesome! tequila lime tacos. [ man ] delicious! [ male announcer ] it's festival of shrimp! f

how the announcement will play out politically, republicans like christian conservative activist ralph reid say the decision will help romney raise money from small donors and recruits volunteers. >> it gives the romney campaign a gift wrapped present as we go into the general election. >> reporter: popular support for gay unions increased in recent years. the country is now split on the issue. but 38 states now have laws defining marriage as between one man and one woman including several important swing states. larry from the university of virginia says that in the end same-sex marriage won't decide the election. >> this is mainly an election about the economy but there will be pluses for president obama in democratic blue states and minuses in republican red states. it may be a wash overall but there are political impacts. >> reporter: the president's advisers say they know there will be political fallout but don't think same-sex marriage will get the same kind of attention in the campaign as the tax issue or afghanistan. and the forced timing of the president's announcement helps him on