#TXLEGE: Straus throws RPT Platform Under Bus

"He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1

[Note: The Trib has more here.]

'When I take the oath of office at the beginning of the legislative session, I take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Texas constitution; I don't take an oath to a political party platform.'

That was Joe Straus' response when we asked him his reaction to the no-confidence resolutions over 50 Republican county party executive committees have passed related to his leadership when we asked him this morning at TribFest.  We weren't taking notes, so we can't promise that the above quote is a perfect transcription of his exact words, but it's an accurate representation of its spirit.  He also made a bunch of excuses related to passage of the resolution in his home county that were previously debunked.

In response to a separate audience question, Straus claimed the current leadership of the Texas House doesn't play fast and loose with parliamentary procedure.  Obviously, that was a bald faced lie.  See here and here for examples.

Basically, Straus was as arrogant and smug as we've ever seen him.

Straus also made several references to the wide margin of victory he achieved in his last election in reference to how the voters in his district feel about the Republican party platform [Note: Spending seven million dollars in that campaign probably didn't hurt either].  That might be true, as far as his personal district goes.  But we suspect that's going to be a much more difficult sell in the districts of his committee chairs.

Finally, in response to a question from Texas Right to Life, Straus pretended to be unfamiliar with the Texas Advance Directives Act.  He then attempted to obfuscate by misrepresenting the DNR bill that was passed during the recently concluded special session as the TADA.  Once again, this was another bald faced lie.

Bottom Line: Joe Straus doesn't care about the RPT platform, he said so himself this morning.