Rep. Steve LaTourette formally announced Tuesday he will not seek a 10th term in office and blamed political gridlock as a major factor for his resignation. The Republican congressman from Ohio, who has been an ally of House Speaker John Boehner, told reporters he would rather call it quits than continue on the path of no compromise.”For a long time now, words like compromise have been considered to be dirty words. And there are people on the right and left who think that if you compromise, you’re a coward, you’re a facilitator or you’re an appeaser,” LaTourette said a press conference. “I have reached the conclusion that the atmosphere today and the reality that exists in the House of Representatives no longer encourages the finding of common ground.”LaTourette, a more moderate Republican, suggested these days politicians must to cater to party extremists in order to get ahead. Very candidly he admitted, “the overwhelming criticism of me over the years is that sometimes I vote funny according to my party. And I’m not interested in giving them my wallet or my voting card.” As in, His parting words closely echo those of outgoing Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe. She cited the “atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies” as her reason for leaving office.
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