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Rally to Restore Sanity/Keep Fear Alive 10-30
Leave it to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to know what Americans need two days before Election Day: comic relief.
The Comedy Central hosts announced plans Thursday night to hold dueling rallies in Washington Oct. 30, events that are already garnering much buzz on the blogosphere.
Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" -- what the TV personality called "a clarion call for rationality" -- is an obvious counter to Glenn Beck's conservative "Restoring Honor" rally last month.
"We will gather on the National Mall in Washington D.C. -- A million moderate march where we take to the streets to send a message to our leaders and our national media that says we are here," Stewart quipped Thursday on "The Daily Show."
The website calls on people "who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn't be the only ones that get heard; and who believe that the only time it's appropriate to draw a Hitler mustache on someone is when that person is actually Hitler. Or Charlie Chaplin in certain roles."
Colbert, a mock conservative who often starts partisan fights with Stewart, kicked it up another notch, announcing on "The Colbert Nation" that he will simultaneously hold a "March to Keep Fear Alive," "to fight Jon Stewart's creeping reasonableness and to restore truthiness."
"It is on," the satirical TV host declared Thursday. "Now is not the time to take it down a notch. Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom."
Stewart was already planning to tape shows in the nation's capital from Oct. 25-28, in anticipation of the midterm elections.
The rallies have already attracted a large following. On the official "Rally to Restore Sanity" page, 22,553 people said they were attending, as of this morning. The "March to Keep Fear Alive" page had 9,484 RSVPs.
Hoping to bulk up support for his march, Colbert again called on his fans to join him, tweeting: "Be there or be scared! Actually be there AND be scared!"
Stewart and Colbert have filed a single application, but have no permit for the events scheduled to take place Oct. 30, National Park Service spokesman Bill Line said.
The permit is for 25,000 people on the Washington Monument, not the National Mall, as Stewart said Thursday night.
Stewart's popularity surged in the Bush administration as he took on the Republican administration for the wars in Iraq and its foreign policy. Most recently, the former stand-up comedian has taken on critics of the proposed Islamic center in New York, and Fox News for its coverage.
In an online, unscientific poll conducted by Time magazine in 2009, Stewart ranked as the most trusted newscaster, beating out all the three network nightly news anchors.
Colbert, a mock conservative pundit who in part channels Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, himself has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards since his show's debut in 2005.
The former "Daily Show" "correspondent" has taken on many U.S. leaders. He came under fire in 2006 for underhandedly mocking George W. Bush, in the president's presence, at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner.
ABC News' Jenny Schlesinger contributed to this report.
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Nothing but WIN!
when and where?
And they already explained why on the date -- they are filming in DC on 10/28, thought about 10/29 but figured they might be a little hung over, 10/31 was halloween, so they picked 10/30.
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