For some reason, NBC anchor Brian Williams decided it was national news on Tuesday night that Rep. Steve LaTourette would retire, one of "the last GOP moderates remaining in Congress...he lamented the fact that compromise has now become a dirty word."
LaTourette, elected in the 1994 wave election, has a lifetime ACU score of 68, but in recent years, his "moderation" could also defined as an enthusasm for more taxes, especially for his cherished transportation projects. Not only did LaTourette attack the Tea Party freshmen as anti-tax-hike "knuckledraggers," he even attacked Obama Transporation Secretary Ray LaHood for failing to propose a gas-tax hike (which would violate Obama's campaign promise not to raise middle-class taxes).
That's not very moderate-sounding. This is only the fourth time NBC News has mentioned LaTourette, and they haven't reported these gems from The Almanac of American Politics:
During his 2004 campaign, "he acknowledged an affair with his former chief aide, who became a lobbyist and whom he soon married. His former wife endorsed Cafaro [the Democrat] and complained 'Washington corrupts people.'"
Or this: "In May 2009, he was promised by the Obama administration and Chrysler company officials that, despite the company's imminent bankruptcy filing, the plant in his district would remain open and its 1,250 employees would keep their jobs. Days later, afcter the bankruptcy proceedings became official, the company announced that the plan would close. LaTourette accused the administration of lying, and a Chrysler lobbyist called to apologize for the 'misunderstanding.'"
