Politicians often claim to represent John Q. Public.
John Q. Public
idiomA generic individual; some hypothetical average or ordinary citizen.
Origin
first recorded 20th c. disputed originFirst use appears c. 1938. John Q. Public was the name of a character created by Vaughn Shoemaker, an editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Daily News from 1922 to 1952; Shoemaker introduced this character in 1922 but is believed to have added the "Q." sometime in the early 1930s.https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/22/obituaries/vaughn-shoemaker-created-john-q-public.html Compare also John Doe.
The new tax law will likely affect the wallet of the average John Q. Public.
While the elite debated abstract economic theories, the actual concerns of John Q. Public remained largely ignored by the legislative assembly.
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air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
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air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
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court of public opinion
The news media and the public at large, seen as being able to deliver a judgement on someone in the manner of a judge.
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go public
To make something public; to announce publicly or to the press.
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public intellectual
A well-known, intelligent, learned person whose written works and other social and cultural contributions are recognized not only by academic audiences and readers, but also by many members of society in general.
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public purse
A quantity of money collected by a government through taxation and other methods, and used for public purposes; public funds, public money.
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rub-a-dub-dub
[Cockney slang]public house
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wash one's dirty laundry in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.