Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It's the other two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them.

Tomlin’s quip contrasts the everyday decency of most people with the disproportionate attention given to a small, attention-seeking minority—especially in politics and media. The punchline (“we elected them”) turns the joke back on the public: the problem is not only that bad actors dominate headlines, but that democratic societies often reward them with power. The line satirizes scandal-driven publicity and the tendency to generalize from the loudest examples, while also stressing civic responsibility—citizens can’t fully disown the behavior of leaders they choose or tolerate.