Landmark Spectacle: The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear
By Carl Foster and Kyle Sporleder
Picked up in Santa Barbara
Tens of thousands gathered at the foot of the U.S. Capitol Saturday to demand something they said is missing from American politics: sanity.
Jon Stewart of Comedy Central organized the rally to provide a platform for all the Americans who are drowned out by the pervasive and more influential news media.
His comedy partner Stephen Colbert arranged a satirical counter-rally, promoting media manipulation, to be combined with Stewart’s. Commemorative towels were handed out to those present, depicting the heads of Colbert and Stewart emerging from a single suit above “The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.”
One estimate from the stage put the crowd on the National Mall at approximately 150,000. However, since there were no ticket sales to consult, official estimates were not available.
Eager to overtake the momentum of the previous rally held by Glenn Beck, Stewart estimated the crowd to be “over ten million.”
The boundary between politics and entertainment was unclear. Many in the crowd carried political signs, while others were drawn by the host’s call for moderation and sensibility.
Signs sighted at the rally included: “I’m not a socialist, I’m just sociable,” “I disagree with you but I’m pretty sure you’re not Hitler,” and “I cannot believe I woke up before noon on a Saturday for this.”
The decision to hold a rally in Washington just days before the mid-term election raised questions about Stewart’s intentions, as well as the type of influence brought about by a comedian journalist.
“I know there are boundaries for a comedy media pundit guy, and I’m sure I’ll find out if I violated them tomorrow,” he said.
Concern for controversy notwithstanding, the program resembled a variety show of musical acts and comedy routines. Stewart preached sanity and reasonableness, while Colbert personified the conservative media with echoing projection screens and a large puppet of himself.
At one point Stewart brought out Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, on stage to sing his soothing hit “Peace Train.”
Colbert interrupted the song, protesting that he wasn’t getting on “that train.” Colbert then summoned Ozzy Osbourne, who burst into his 1980’s hit “Crazy Train” until both musicians were ignored into silence by the two hosts’ criticism of each other.
After Colbert launched into unfavorable characterizations of Muslims, Stewart brought out 7 foot 2 former N.B.A. center Kareem Abdul Jabbar to prove not all Muslims are threatening.
“No matter what religious position you play, you’re all on the same team,” Jabbar said, towering over his hosts.
Colbert then asserted that all robots are scary, and Stewart summoned R2D2 of Star Wars renown.
Stewart became more serious in the rally’s final moments, pontificating on the news media’s warped coverage, describing cable TV as a “24-hour-politico-punditry-perpetual-panic-conflictinator.”
“The press can hold its magnifying glass to our problems, bringing them into our focus… or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire. And then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden unexpected flaming ant epidemic,” he said.
Stewart accused the media of making people everywhere feel incapable of accomplishing anything meaningful. “People do things every day!” he shouted; then pointing at the Capitol, he added, “It’s here that nothing gets done! And also on cable TV.”
The crowd was mostly comprised of young and middle-aged Stewart fans, some of whom camped out in the Mall after arriving in the middle of the night.
A number of Californians made the cross-country trip: some to take a political stance, and others to heed Stewart’s call to express their moderation.
Steve Mead, a self-proclaimed “old hippie” from Stockton recalled his first rally on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue in the 1960s when police battled students over People’s Park.
Saturday he brought his two college-aged daughters to the Mall because he wanted them “to be part of a major political event.”
Molly Anderson, a 24-year-old Glendale resident, was there with her mother and a sign that carried a more sober quotation from Woodrow Wilson: “You cannot compound a successful government out of antagonisms.”
Casey Kloehn, a 22-year-old graduate student from Berkeley, made the trip because she wanted to do something more than simply joining a cause on Facebook.
“There’s too much negativity on TV. Politicians are no longer qualified to hold office,” she said.
Colbert also took a shot at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, presenting him an award for fostering fear through Facebook’s controversial privacy settings.
He noted that Zuckerberg was not there to receive the award “because he values his privacy much more than he values yours.”
Stewart presented a “Medal of Reasonableness” to Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarrage who graciously forgave an umpire whose bad call on what should have been the final out cost him a perfect game.
San Francisco’s Tony Bennett sang “God Bless America” in one of the many patriotic musical performances.
Even Stewart and Colbert, in an apparent jab at Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck,sang a song with the chorus: “No one is more American than We.”
Other musical guests included John Legend and The Roots, Sheryl Crow, and Kid Rock.
There were more than 1,000 applications for press credentials, and Stewart acknowledged the importance of the news media’s perception.
“It doesn’t matter what we say or do here today,” Stewart said. “It matters what is reported about what we say or do today.”
By Carl Foster and Kyle Sporleder
Picked up in Santa Barbara
Tens of thousands gathered at the foot of the U.S. Capitol Saturday to demand something they said is missing from American politics: sanity.
Jon Stewart of Comedy Central organized the rally to provide a platform for all the Americans who are drowned out by the pervasive and more influential news media.
His comedy partner Stephen Colbert arranged a satirical counter-rally, promoting media manipulation, to be combined with Stewart’s. Commemorative towels were handed out to those present, depicting the heads of Colbert and Stewart emerging from a single suit above “The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.”
One estimate from the stage put the crowd on the National Mall at approximately 150,000. However, since there were no ticket sales to consult, official estimates were not available.
Eager to overtake the momentum of the previous rally held by Glenn Beck, Stewart estimated the crowd to be “over ten million.”
The boundary between politics and entertainment was unclear. Many in the crowd carried political signs, while others were drawn by the host’s call for moderation and sensibility.
Signs sighted at the rally included: “I’m not a socialist, I’m just sociable,” “I disagree with you but I’m pretty sure you’re not Hitler,” and “I cannot believe I woke up before noon on a Saturday for this.”
The decision to hold a rally in Washington just days before the mid-term election raised questions about Stewart’s intentions, as well as the type of influence brought about by a comedian journalist.
“I know there are boundaries for a comedy media pundit guy, and I’m sure I’ll find out if I violated them tomorrow,” he said.
Concern for controversy notwithstanding, the program resembled a variety show of musical acts and comedy routines. Stewart preached sanity and reasonableness, while Colbert personified the conservative media with echoing projection screens and a large puppet of himself.
At one point Stewart brought out Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, on stage to sing his soothing hit “Peace Train.”
Colbert interrupted the song, protesting that he wasn’t getting on “that train.” Colbert then summoned Ozzy Osbourne, who burst into his 1980’s hit “Crazy Train” until both musicians were ignored into silence by the two hosts’ criticism of each other.
After Colbert launched into unfavorable characterizations of Muslims, Stewart brought out 7 foot 2 former N.B.A. center Kareem Abdul Jabbar to prove not all Muslims are threatening.
“No matter what religious position you play, you’re all on the same team,” Jabbar said, towering over his hosts.
Colbert then asserted that all robots are scary, and Stewart summoned R2D2 of Star Wars renown.
Stewart became more serious in the rally’s final moments, pontificating on the news media’s warped coverage, describing cable TV as a “24-hour-politico-punditry-perpetual-panic-conflictinator.”
“The press can hold its magnifying glass to our problems, bringing them into our focus… or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire. And then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden unexpected flaming ant epidemic,” he said.
Stewart accused the media of making people everywhere feel incapable of accomplishing anything meaningful. “People do things every day!” he shouted; then pointing at the Capitol, he added, “It’s here that nothing gets done! And also on cable TV.”
The crowd was mostly comprised of young and middle-aged Stewart fans, some of whom camped out in the Mall after arriving in the middle of the night.
A number of Californians made the cross-country trip: some to take a political stance, and others to heed Stewart’s call to express their moderation.
Steve Mead, a self-proclaimed “old hippie” from Stockton recalled his first rally on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue in the 1960s when police battled students over People’s Park.
Saturday he brought his two college-aged daughters to the Mall because he wanted them “to be part of a major political event.”
Molly Anderson, a 24-year-old Glendale resident, was there with her mother and a sign that carried a more sober quotation from Woodrow Wilson: “You cannot compound a successful government out of antagonisms.”
Casey Kloehn, a 22-year-old graduate student from Berkeley, made the trip because she wanted to do something more than simply joining a cause on Facebook.
“There’s too much negativity on TV. Politicians are no longer qualified to hold office,” she said.
Colbert also took a shot at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, presenting him an award for fostering fear through Facebook’s controversial privacy settings.
He noted that Zuckerberg was not there to receive the award “because he values his privacy much more than he values yours.”
Stewart presented a “Medal of Reasonableness” to Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarrage who graciously forgave an umpire whose bad call on what should have been the final out cost him a perfect game.
San Francisco’s Tony Bennett sang “God Bless America” in one of the many patriotic musical performances.
Even Stewart and Colbert, in an apparent jab at Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck,sang a song with the chorus: “No one is more American than We.”
Other musical guests included John Legend and The Roots, Sheryl Crow, and Kid Rock.
There were more than 1,000 applications for press credentials, and Stewart acknowledged the importance of the news media’s perception.
“It doesn’t matter what we say or do here today,” Stewart said. “It matters what is reported about what we say or do today.”