Fred Quayle and the “ravenous beasts of prey”

By Norman Leahy | Monday, October 24th, 2011 | Politics, Virginia

Sen. Fred Quayle is retiring. Not by choice, but by the sometimes fickle, sometimes vengeful, hand of redistricting. In an exit interview, of sorts, with Quayle, the Pilot manages to unearth a gem that bears additional scrutiny.

You see, Mr. Quayle believes the district he was squeezed out of was his. And if it hadn’t been for surgery that kept him away from the action, he would still have that burough tucked neatly in his pocket:

With Quayle absent from the bargaining table, Democrats drew a map that moved his 13th District to Northern Virginia, leaving him in the 14th District, already represented by his friend, Republican Sen. Harry Blevins of Chesapeake.

“I was surprised and disappointed,” Quayle said. “Had I been there, I really do believe I could have saved my seat. But the more I thought about it, it doesn’t bother me anymore. It was time for me to retire. I’ve got other things to do. My wife doesn’t mind at all.”

While he seems at peace, now, with the expropriation of his seat, Quayle’s remarks force me to recall a line from John Adams and his “Thoughts on Government.” Adams, arguing for the necessity of annual elections, said a short political leash would “…teach them the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation, without which every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey.”

Or, as is more often the case, squatters.

Seats in the General Assembly belong to no individual or party. They are not a species of property to be handed down through the generations, nor are they like used cars that can be traded in for newer, flashier models. They are positions of trust that are loaned to certain individuals for a period of time.

Perhaps Mr. Adams was right that to combat the ravenous beasts of prey (and the squatters), rotation in office — even in the part time, citizen legislature Virginia prides itself upon — would be a wise thing to have.

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