"My dog can bark like a congressman, fetch like an aide, beg like a press secretary, and play dead like a receptionist when the phone rings"
About this Quote
The sharpest cut is saved for the receptionist who “play[s] dead when the phone rings.” It’s not just office humor; it’s an acknowledgement of institutional avoidance. Calls mean accountability, constituents, journalists, problems. Playing dead is a survival strategy in a system designed to deflect, delay, and deny access.
As a politician delivering the line, Solomon gains plausible deniability: it’s “just a joke,” aimed at his own ecosystem. That self-targeting is the alibi, and the weapon. The subtext is a cynical civics lesson: government isn’t a noble machine so much as a set of rehearsed behaviors, rewarded for noise and compliance, punished for answering the phone.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Solomon, Gerald B. H. (2026, February 17). My dog can bark like a congressman, fetch like an aide, beg like a press secretary, and play dead like a receptionist when the phone rings. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-dog-can-bark-like-a-congressman-fetch-like-an-105136/
Chicago Style
Solomon, Gerald B. H. "My dog can bark like a congressman, fetch like an aide, beg like a press secretary, and play dead like a receptionist when the phone rings." FixQuotes. February 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-dog-can-bark-like-a-congressman-fetch-like-an-105136/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My dog can bark like a congressman, fetch like an aide, beg like a press secretary, and play dead like a receptionist when the phone rings." FixQuotes, 17 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-dog-can-bark-like-a-congressman-fetch-like-an-105136/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
