Edgar Bergen

Edgar Bergen serves as a mid-20th-century ventriloquist icon, paired eternally with his dummy Charlie McCarthy. Toby invokes Bergen during beachfront coaching of Sam, casting himself as the ventriloquist who supplies Sam's scripted line—'Orange County's beachfront is a national treasure'—to dodge questions on the Consumer Price Index. The analogy underscores White House message control, where staffers voice the administration's words like dummies under strict guidance. Bergen's reference cements his role as shorthand for authoritative performance masking the speaker's true voice.