Rally to Restore Sanity
 

http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com/

Is anyone going?

Did you mean to post this to the Underground DC message board?

There are probably at least 8-10 FOFCers within 60 miles of DC.

I hadn't even heard of this.

As Daily Show gags go, it's a pretty good one.

Is it still a gag if they actually get people come to the rally and, you know, rally? Yeah, just funnier.

I think "March to Keep Fear Alive" is the superior title.

I hope they don't back down too much to what I think are pretty honorable points this thing appears to be making, and we don't get the, "hey, we're telling jokes, so this isn't serious and this isn't political" angle we get from the Daily Show. I think though, they'll try to do the latter even though the Huffington Post is heavily involved and Obama has even talked about it.

I do appreciate their mottos, "Take it down a notch for America" and "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler."

I realize that, but I think my comment was still valid. And funny.

yes you have

Wouldn't we be crazy not to?

I'll be going to the Rally to Keep Fear Alive. ;)

Yeah, I'll be there. :)

/tk

Unfortunately Colbert "did not get a permit" so they combined them and I think the "March to Keep Fear Alive" is dead, absorbed by the Rally to Restore Sanity.

I think my buddy is going. He invited me but I didn't want to.

Rallies are queer.

im going to cleveland :( boo!

I have a friend with the exact same problem. :)

Well, I have *now*.

Don't underestimate the depths of Drake's cultural ignorance. He lives in Indiana, you know.

I think the Cannonball could be considered a road rally. I KNOW you're not calling out the Cannonball.

they are REALLY setting up the mall... i wonder if there is anything else going on?

And he doesn't really watch television. I don't think I've actually seen an episode of the Daily Show in a year and a half.

Is this a joke? :)

Renamed to "Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear".

Should be interesting to see what kind of numbers Stewart and Colbert are able to get to attend the rally.

I think it should be interesting as well, but I'm not sure what the numbers would ultimately tell us. Would it say that people are buying into the cynicism about media and politics that these two are selling? Would it say that they're turning out as fans just cause they want to be entertained? Would it say they are serious about ending insanity and the perpetuation of fear? Maybe it's a combination of all three, but I wonder if this combination really accomplishes what seems to be the intention of the rally.

It seems this is where political infotainment hits a snag, when it appears to be wanting to be taken seriously.

What do think is the intention of the rally?

I think it will just be like any other leftish political rally (except with more comedy.) It will draw young liberals who care passionately about politics (and who aren't known for taking anything down a notch).

The alleged "target audience" of this rally doesn't go to rallies.

As for purpose - it's Daily Show/Jon Stewart branding. Aren't they actually accepting political donations too? Similar to any Glenn Beck rally.

The only donation info I've seen has been for the Trust for the National Mall.

First, I don't think they're trying to be taken seriously. I mean, they have a comedian warming the crowd up -- I think it's the same as the show. Second, I think people will mostly come out as fans. The fact that I don't think it is serious is the only reason I plan on going -- I'm not one to go to a rally, but this is just Stewart and Colbert, not a regular political rally. Third, you'll never know how many people showed up. There are always disputes. Glenn Beck laughingly claimed that 500,000 people showed up for his rally. The Million Man March claimed around a million but the park service said only about half a million.

This.

From the website above:

That's my point, that's what they're clearly selling on the surface, and it's a cool thing to sell, I just think you'll run into a lot of the "Bush is Hitler" college/far left crowd (who are also Daily Show fans, though certainly don't make up their entire audience by any means.) Comedy doesn't make politics less political, it just makes politics more funny.

I hope I'm wrong and it's just filled with people who, for example, have never participated in a internet message board political discussion, or at least have never gotten fired up in an internet message board political discussion (I certainly would not qualify.) They're selling a product that would correctly MOCK those people who get all fired up about this nonsense (but instead, I think people will just be mocking political viewpoints they don't like - like the tea party stuff, just like any regular rally.)

Unless there's a rumor that you can get some good weed at this thing and the cops will look the other way. Then maybe they'll draw some normals.

I'll report back with my experience. :) With a fairly large degree of certainty I would say my friends and I are in that group. I have certainly never been to a rally before, and my political message board discussion is limited to here and I believe (outside of DC voting rights) I don't generally indulge in the political threads. So I may have a skewed view of the participants -- I have a lot of friends going and if I hang out with them the whole time, I think they are of the "target" audience.

I've gotta agree with molson. I imagine that the intention was for "restoring sanity" but my guess is most attendees will see it as their Glenn Beck-type rally. My guess is they're hoping for non-partisanship but they won't be getting it.

There was a "lefty" rally about a month ago. It was overshadowed by this one, but that was the "official" response to the Glenn Beck rally, I believe.

We have lefties protesting shit all the time in DC -- that's not anything special anymore. I am hoping this is different -- the hippies have their World Bank protests and what not to care about. :)

For the D.C. crowd, I can see this as like a night out at a comedy club or something.

But don't forget - the Huffington Post has promised "as many buses as it takes" to get people from Manhattan to D.C. for this. Imagine the political demographics and political activity level of the occupants of that convoy.

Definitely agreed on the first part. It's like a music festival or other event coming to town. Most people I know that live in and around DC are coming.

I think your assessment through the whole thread has been dead on. Hopefully if those type do show up, I won't be standing near them. :)

If I am motivated enough (unlikely) I will make a sign.. My plan is for it to say, "You make a reasoned argument, please tell me more".

This was an unappreciated post.

I think this gets to lighthousekeeper's question of what the intention of this rally really is. I honestly don't know. But I'm not really sure why they are bothering to have the rally. If sanity is indeed restored, it seems there isn't a place for Stewart and Colbert. Their entire programs are built on and around the insanity. Do they really and truly want to restore the sanity? I would suspect they want to grow the brand with this rally, but the message of the rally contradicts their brand.

But I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the contradiction. Contradiction is at the heart of the infotainment genre. It is both serious and not serious simultaneously. Critiquing it from either angle immediately causes a retreat to the opposite pole.

I support rallies with the Roots.

The Concert to Restore Sanity

I think I should be offended as I'm in Indy and watching it right now... ;)

SI

Colbert needs a rally to restore his dance belt.

Ok, I called that one when they started talking train metaphors

And while the acoustics are awful for Ozzy there, he does have a sousaphone playing in the background :D

SI

No. It wasn't funny.

Speaking of not funny, I'm going to do some stand-up in about an hour at San Jose's "Rally To Restore Sanity"

Yes, yes...similar to any Glenn Beck rally. I'm sure it will be full of idiots who were brainwashed by their parents into denying people basic civil rights.

Wow, this is kind of lame...

Thought there would be something that resembled humor but nothing close yet.

Cute that you didn't understand my point but did have a pre-programmed response ready to go if someone said "Glenn Beck".

I think we need a Rally to Restore Comedy.

No difference between this and the Glen Beck rally. All about the money. They just pander to different demographics.

Exactly. They're both phenomenal branders. (And there's nothing wrong with that.)

I think the branding insanity will have to continue until at least another rally.

This one is under the guise of humor but that failed beyond belief.