#TXLEGE: Zerwas refuses to commit to GOP Caucus speaker selection; endorses status quo....

"For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error."
2 Peter 2:18

We caught the tail end of John Zerwas' trib interview this morning.  Zerwas' answers speak for themselves.  Kudos to Evan Smith for getting all this on the record (double kudos for not allowing Zerwas to talk out of both sides of his mouth over the Privacy act):



Highlights:

[Note: Like noted above, we didn't arrive until 20 minutes in.]

• Maintains position against any form of parental educational choice.

• Refuses to commit on bathroom bill.
• "The process can kill bills better than John Zerwas."

• "A lot of my political positions line up with the speaker [ie. Straus]."

• Says Straus "maintained the integrity of the process."
• Note: So much LOL, see here, here, here, and here for the first examples that come to mind.

• "Pro-Local Control."

• Evan - "I'm not aware of any deviance" from pro-life position on Zerwas' part.
• Note: See here (you'll have to scroll down a ways to find Zerwas.

• Evan - Freedom caucus expected to grow.

• Zerwas speaks more respectfully about Freedom caucus than Straus ever did.
• Doesn't mean much, but it's still interesting.

• Refuses to commit to voting for GOP caucus choice for speaker.
• Speaker: "Must demonstrate an ability to work across the aisle."
• "No, I don't support making [caucus vote] binding."

• Obamacare - Tries to throw shade at MQS and Empower Texans by lying about what TPPF was supporting at the time; here's what TPPF actually supported at the time.
• Uses the phrase "expand medicaid" in trying to explain why he wasn't expanding Medicaid.

• Dodged this author's question on spending.
• Cliches about "efficiencies."
• Claims credit for Senate's work on most recent budget.
• Doesn't comment on local spending.
• Note: Here's what we said about the budget at the time.

• Commits to appointing Democrat committee chairs.
• That's not necessarily a bad thing.  The devil is ultimately in the details.  That being said, for a member of Straus' leadership team to make this comment is different than if someone else had made it.
• For the record: Zerwas had a more liberal record last session than either of the Democrat committee chairs Dan Patrick appointed.

• Dodges Harvey/Rainy Day Fund question by hiding behind fact that over 100 colleagues voted the same way he did...even though the relevant bill(s) came out of the committee of which he was chair.