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Saturday is Rally Day for Comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/10/29/saturday-is-rally-day-for-comedians-jon-stewart-and-steven-colbe/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk2%7C181163
What do you think? Will the crowds be massive or small?
WASHINGTON – Rob Silverstein, a freshman at Georgetown University, believes Saturday's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on the National Mall will be a "Woodstock-like event for a lot of people."
"This is an event that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," he predicts.
Perhaps the sponsors are thinking the same thing. A rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, with national visibility, is new territory for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, the popular TV comedians who concocted the event. According to the Facebook page for the rally, more than 200,000 people have signed up to attend.
Stewart first announced the rally last month on his television program, "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. "We have seen these folks, the loud folks, over the years dominate our national conversation on our most important issues," Stewart said, before playing clips of angry pundits and activists, from James Carville to Sean Hannity. "That ends tonight."
Colbert, who hosts "The Colbert Report," soon after announced his own rally in Washington. Initially, the two comics had planned separate events -- "The Rally to Restore Sanity" and "The March to Keep Fear Alive" -- but decided two weeks ago during a joint appearance on Stewart's program that they would join forces.
Despite some criticism that the comedians' event carries a liberal bent, some attendees are going to take a stand against any kind of extremism.
"I agree with the whole idea behind it," said Lisa Kean, 58, who drove to Washington from New York City. "The people who are noisy and have huge conflicts are the ones who make it onto the news. This is a rally to encourage the more moderate people to express their voices, too."
But Conor Rogers, a junior at George Washington University, is staying home since he feels the event had become too partisan.
"I was planning to go, because when they first announced it, it seemed like a joke. But as time has gone on, it's actually turned decidedly more political and decidedly more pro-Obama," said Rogers, noting that President Obama, as well as many liberal groups, have endorsed the rally.
Stewart and Colbert have poked fun at both Democrats and Republicans, although their programs often save the most acerbic barbs for conservatives, such as Stewart's "Mess-O-Potamia" segment, which ran until 2006 and mocked President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Colbert's show, "The Colbert Report," is a send-up of right-wing talk shows, particularly "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel.
Stewart and Colbert's popularity among liberals and college students has led to speculation that the rally might help Democrats in the midterm elections on Tuesday. "Democrats will definitely benefit from this more than Republicans will, especially in terms of getting people energized and getting out the vote," said Tony Montgomery, a sophomore at Cornell University, who came to Washington with the Cornell University Democrats.
On Wednesday, The Christian Science Monitor acquired details on the event's lineup from a spokesman at the National Park Service. According to the spokesman, the three-hour event will include musical performances from The Roots, Sheryl Crow, and Mavis Staples, as well as appearances by actors Don Novello and Sam Waterston.
What do you think? Will the crowds be massive or small?
WASHINGTON – Rob Silverstein, a freshman at Georgetown University, believes Saturday's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on the National Mall will be a "Woodstock-like event for a lot of people."
"This is an event that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," he predicts.
Perhaps the sponsors are thinking the same thing. A rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, with national visibility, is new territory for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, the popular TV comedians who concocted the event. According to the Facebook page for the rally, more than 200,000 people have signed up to attend.
Stewart first announced the rally last month on his television program, "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. "We have seen these folks, the loud folks, over the years dominate our national conversation on our most important issues," Stewart said, before playing clips of angry pundits and activists, from James Carville to Sean Hannity. "That ends tonight."
Colbert, who hosts "The Colbert Report," soon after announced his own rally in Washington. Initially, the two comics had planned separate events -- "The Rally to Restore Sanity" and "The March to Keep Fear Alive" -- but decided two weeks ago during a joint appearance on Stewart's program that they would join forces.
Despite some criticism that the comedians' event carries a liberal bent, some attendees are going to take a stand against any kind of extremism.
"I agree with the whole idea behind it," said Lisa Kean, 58, who drove to Washington from New York City. "The people who are noisy and have huge conflicts are the ones who make it onto the news. This is a rally to encourage the more moderate people to express their voices, too."
But Conor Rogers, a junior at George Washington University, is staying home since he feels the event had become too partisan.
"I was planning to go, because when they first announced it, it seemed like a joke. But as time has gone on, it's actually turned decidedly more political and decidedly more pro-Obama," said Rogers, noting that President Obama, as well as many liberal groups, have endorsed the rally.
Stewart and Colbert have poked fun at both Democrats and Republicans, although their programs often save the most acerbic barbs for conservatives, such as Stewart's "Mess-O-Potamia" segment, which ran until 2006 and mocked President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Colbert's show, "The Colbert Report," is a send-up of right-wing talk shows, particularly "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel.
Stewart and Colbert's popularity among liberals and college students has led to speculation that the rally might help Democrats in the midterm elections on Tuesday. "Democrats will definitely benefit from this more than Republicans will, especially in terms of getting people energized and getting out the vote," said Tony Montgomery, a sophomore at Cornell University, who came to Washington with the Cornell University Democrats.
On Wednesday, The Christian Science Monitor acquired details on the event's lineup from a spokesman at the National Park Service. According to the spokesman, the three-hour event will include musical performances from The Roots, Sheryl Crow, and Mavis Staples, as well as appearances by actors Don Novello and Sam Waterston.
it was very impressive....from what friends of mine have said on both sides of the aisle, it was universally appealing.
I must say I am impressed. I have heard no dogging, tearing down or criticizing anyone, except the media. Awesome! And it appears to have been a huge success. No one being prodded to vote a certain way, rather the message was joining together to get back to common sense and not boogieman scaring the wits out of us. Like he said. We are in hard times, not end times. I agree
I am guessing with their popularity that they have a huge turnout. I was not able to go, but 2 of my kids are going so I look forward to hearing all about it.
I so wish I could have gone ! I have 2 friends that are there. My guess is over 200 thousand people show up.
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