Craig Ferguson: Making a statement with the 'grumpy political edition of the show'

Craig Ferguson was in fine form on Wednesday's edition of CBS' "The Late Late Show."

He's never better than when he's fired up about some great big only-in-America topic, and tonight he was just that -- worked up about the state of the presidential horse race and the media coverage of it hath wrought.

Ferguson was so worked up his rant spilled over from the monologue into the first post-commercial segment. There were jokes squeezed in here and there, but you can see it in his eyes -- this newly minted U.S. citizen is seriously upset about the state of the discourse in the campaign and how much of a turn-off it is for so many eligible voters.

Do you know what bothers me is every election year you get the voter registration drives aimed at the young people. “Rock the Vote” or “The Vote is Crackalackin” or “Think the Vote,” “Music the Vote," “The Vote, The Vote, The Vote!”

Are we so lost we have to be sold our own democratic right? What the hell is wrong with us?  What is going on? We have to sexy-up the vote for young people?  ...

Listen, here is what I am saying to you, if you don’t vote, you’re moron. “Not voting is a vote” – no it isn’t!! Not voting is just being stupid.

Voting is not sexy.  Voting is not hip. It is not fashionable.  It is not a movie.  It is not a videogame, all the kids are doing it. Frankly, voting is a pain in the ass. But here is a word, look it up, it’s your duty to vote!

The foundation in this democracy is based on free people making free choices. So young people if you can’t take your hand out of your bag of Cheetos long enough to fill out a form, then you can’t complain when we wind up with President Sanjaya.

I agree with almost everything he had to say -- save for a bit of blanket media bashing that I can't subscribe to  -- but his underlying point was something that anyone who cares about this country can get behind. Get out and vote. No excuses, just make up your mind and vote on Nov. 4.

Ferguson pushed this point so hard on what he called "the grumpy political edition of the show" that held up a voter registration card on air and promised to give one to every member of the studio audience on their way out of the door.

It is kinda your IQ form on whether you can vote. All you have to do is fill in some pretty tough questions – names, address, when you were born, telephone – if you have a phone.

You can put, “I decline to state a political party.” I would do that if I were you, you know why? Just to be ornery. And then you just sign it and send it away and you get to be a part of the democracy that we live in....What I am saying is, please do me the honor of being my fellow Americans and vote.

With an invitation like this, from a charming Scotsman who is head over heels in love with his adopted home, how could anyone say no?