Politics & Power Quote by Gerald F. Lieberman

Calling politicians "servants" is one of democracy's sweetest euphemisms, and Lieberman slices it open with a deadpan wink. The line hinges on a linguistic bait-and-switch: we treat "public servant" as a moral job description, but he drags the word back into its older, more literal register. Servants are supposed to be attentive, accountable, present. The joke is that if politicians are servants, they're the kind who never come when you ring the bell.

The intent is less to sneer at politics as inherently corrupt than to expose how political language launders expectations. "Servant" functions as branding: it flatters the officeholder with humility while reassuring the public that power is domesticated. Lieberman punctures that comfort by treating the phrase as a testable claim. If a "good one is hard to find", then the label isn't a description; it's an aspiration with poor customer service.

Subtext: the problem isn't only individual bad actors but the incentive structure that rewards self-preservation over service. The punchline lands because it borrows the logic of everyday experience: everyone knows what it feels like to depend on someone who is supposed to show up and doesn't. By mapping that annoyance onto governance, Lieberman makes cynicism feel earned rather than performative.

Contextually, it's a classic writer's move: distrust the noun that pretends to resolve the conflict. "Servant" is a democratic fantasy word, and the quote reminds you that titles don't make conduct. Only behavior does.