George Carlin ( 1937- 2008 ): The Public

“The last vote that George Carlin said he cast in a presidential race was for George McGovern in 1972.When Richard Nixon, who Carlin described as a member of a sub-species of humanity, overwhelmingly defeated McGovern, the comedian gave up on the political process.

‘Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians,’ he explained in a routine that challenged all the premises of today's half-a-loaf reformers. ‘Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky.They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish,ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders.Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end upwith a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe,maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There'sa nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks.'"