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It has become the question of the day: What do Republicans want from the government shutdown?

Is it respect? Do they even know?

MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts took this question directly to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus Thursday morning — and Priebus struggled to find a coherent answer. Instead, he said they can’t know what they want because the president won’t negotiate. When that didn’t work, Priebus attacked the host for using “talking points” and said he felt as he were debating the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Then he blasted the problems with the rollout of the Affordable Care Act health care exchanges.

Roberts referenced reports from conservative media and Tea Partiers that the far-right group is keeping Speaker Boehner from passing a bill to fund the government.

“It’s not Tea Party tactics,” Priebus rebutted. “This is what the American people want.”

However, Obamacare, the chairman didn’t note, is far more popular than the government shutdown, which more Americans blame on House Republicans than anyone else.

Roberts also earned extra points for apparently becoming the first human being in history to ever pronounce “Reince” correctly.

After this appearance and a possibly even worse smackdown on Morning Joe last year, you probably shouldn’t expect to ever see Priebus on MSNBC again.

Screenshot via MSNBC