A Texas Republican insisted Americans were too busy working -- if they were lucky enough to have a job -- to care whether the ultra-rich got to keep a loophole on their investment income.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, argued the GOP tax bill would honor President Donald Trump's campaign promise help "blue collar workers" -- but he didn't want to talk about keeping a loophole used primarily by wealthy investment managers.
Co-host Willie Geist asked the lawmaker to concede that loophole would still benefit very few Americans, and violate a Trump campaign promise to "get rid" of carried interest.
"I'll concede that you are obsessed with one issue, rather than the bigger picture," Brady said.
He again asked the congressman to admit the carried interest change would benefit only a few wealthy New York hedge fund managers, which Brady flatly denied -- much to the surprise of Geist and co-host Mika Brzezinski.
"It doesn't?" they both asked, incredulously.
"At the end of the day, keep talking about this," Brady said. "This is why the American public turns off these shows, unfortunately, because they're not dealing with the real issues Americans care about."
That's when host Joe Scarborough stepped in, saying the show was enjoying its greatest success.
"Let me talk," Scarborough said. "We've had our highest ratings ever this year, it's been a very good year for us, so people aren't turning us off."
Scarborough said the GOP tax bill offered none of the benefits Republicans campaigned on last year, as Brady repeatedly urged him to step back and "look at the big picture."
"Let me finish," Scarborough said. "Let me finish. Kevin, a lot of people in your district that work hard, that don't make a lot of money, are paying double that (14 percent to 15 percent paid by wealthy investors)."
Brady half-heartedly argued the tax plan would keep the government from spending his constituents' money, and then he praised "Morning Joe."
"I love coming on this show," he said. "I think it's an important part of our country. What I'm saying is, I think generally, when Washington and other areas really focus and obsess over a provision when the rest of the country is really focused on their paycheck -- I just think we're missing a really great discussion, that's all."
Brzezinski asked why that discussion shouldn't include talk about the carried interest loophole.
"I think people are turned off with Washington when the same old thing happens again and again, and Willie had a very interesting question that is not an obsession, that is about the fairness of this plan," she said.
Brady insisted his constituents didn't care how much taxes venture capitalists and hedge fund managers paid on their profits off client investments.
"No one back home says, 'Hey, how's that carried interest provision going?'" Brady said. "They're asking, 'Hey, can I keep more of my paycheck? Can we get the economy going, can we get our jobs back from overseas?' My only point to you is, I just think those are the big issues families care about -- that's all."
