Stewart, Colbert to hold rallies in Washington D.C. on October 30th.

[Cry Havoc]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/17/stewart.colbert.rallies/index.html?iref=NS1

Should be interesting to see how many people go to them.

[Spurminator]

I appreciate the non-partisan intent.

In practice, though, I'm afraid it will probably just be a Tea Party rally in reverse.

(:lol @ "Take It Down a Notch For America")

[ploto]

Stewart's Full Announcement:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-september-16-2010/rally-to-restore-sanity?xrs=share_copy

[DMX7]

This is going to be epic.

[boutons_deux]

Just more professional clowns clowning around.

The difference is Colbert/Stewart's fans know that they are clowning, while pitbull bitch/BecKKK's fans think they're dead serious.

Secondly, pitbull bitch and BecKKK expect their fans to SEND MORE MONEY and BUY OUR MERCHANDISE. It's a business, doncha know?

[Cry Havoc]

Just more professional clowns having clowning around.

This should seriously set a record for the largest troll job in the history of the world.

[jack sommerset]

It will be good for a segment or two on their shows.

[fraga]

Sad I don't live in D.C...

[Jacob1983]

It's a funny idea but kind of lame. It's basically like "hey FOX News, we're going to bash you and your viewers like we usually do but it will be at a rally in DC". For the record, Stewart has no room to take on bi-partisanship. The man is a hardcore liberal.

[ChumpDumper]

For the record, Stewart is a comedian.

Anyone who whines about his politics has a problem.

[JohnnyMarzetti]

For the record, Stewart is a comedian.

Anyone who whines about his politics has a problem.

Palin and Beck are also comedians.

[TeyshaBlue]

For the record, Stewart is a comedian.

Anyone who whines about his politics has a problem.

I think Stewart is a comedian when it's convenient and offers protection. Other times, he's a biting satirist. Other times again, he's an astute political analyst. That's alot like saying Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer because he has a radio talk show, IMO.
Stewart does lampoon both sides pretty regularly, so I'm not sure about labeling him in any particular fashion. I think people got in tune with him bashing Republicans simply because they were the prominent political party for pretty much the last decade. Now that Democrats have taken center stage, he's been pretty brutal to them as well.

[Nbadan]

The difference of course that the Democratic leadership does not bow down to Stewart and Colbert the way the GOP leadership bows down to Rush, Beck and Hannity..

[symple19]

Palin and Beck are also comedians.

:lol

[TeyshaBlue]

The difference of course that the Democratic leadership does not bow down to Stewart and Colbert the way the GOP leadership bows down to Rush, Beck and Hannity..

lol @ GOP leadership.

Why are you linking the Democratic party to Stewart and Colbert ala Rush and the GOP?

You're building strawmen when they're not even needed. Insecure today?

[Nbadan]

Strawman? Do I have to go bouton and post all the times that Steele has cratered to wing-nut talk radio

[TeyshaBlue]

Strawman? Do I have to go bouton and post all the times that Steele has cratered to wing-nut talk radio

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, Dan.:lol

I was actually refering to the comparison of the Dems led by Stewart to the GOP being led by Limbaugh. Im still not sure why you tried that particular illustration.

I don't think the Dems have any leadership connections to Stewart, btw.:lol
Actually, I'm not sure where the Dems have leadership connections to these days.:rollin

btw...Steele's an idiot. He'd genuflect to my chihuahua.

[Nbadan]

I don't think the Dems have any leadership connections to Stewart, btw.
Actually, I'm not sure where the Dems have leadership connections to these days.

Pelosi has done a superb job with a super-majority in the House....Reid, much less so in the Senate...bring back Howard Dean for the DNC..

[Spurminator]

Stewart does lampoon both sides pretty regularly, so I'm not sure about labeling him in any particular fashion. I think people got in tune with him bashing Republicans simply because they were the prominent political party for pretty much the last decade. Now that Democrats have taken center stage, he's been pretty brutal to them as well.

Stewart definitely skews liberal. His criticisms of Democrats are akin to the home team's sports analyst criticizing coaching decisions in the latest game. His criticisms of Republicans are much more biting.

But I don't think it's inherently wrong for a commentator like Stewart to have a point of view. I don't find him overtly partisan in the sense that he toes the Democratic party line on every issue, no matter what.

Colbert, on the other hand, I can't say the same about.

[boutons_deux]

Fox Repug Propaganda network would somewhat justify its' Fair and Balanced lie if it went after the right as much as Comedy Central goes after the left.

[redzero]

Fox Repug Propaganda network would somewhat justify its' Fair and Balanced lie if it went after the right as much as Comedy Central goes after the left.

So Comedy Central goes after the left as much as it goes after the right?

[boutons_deux]

no, but "serious" balanced Fox never goes after Repugs or conservatives the way
COMEDY often skewers Dems.

[Cry Havoc]

So Comedy Central goes after the left as much as it goes after the right?

Stewart REGULARLY lampoons and attacks Democrats.

Last night he showcased a woman whom basically pointed out everything that Obama has failed at in this administration.

When's the last time you've seen anything of the sort on Fox criticizing Republicans?

Just because Stewart is a liberal doesn't mean he has to be completely in bed with the Democrats. You can have a liberal lean and still remain (relatively) objective.

[DarrinS]

They could easily draw a larger crowd than OBama.

[Cry Havoc]

They could easily draw a larger crowd than Beck.

Ftfy.



And for those wondering about relevance:

----------------------

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/22/avlon.jon.stewart.rally/index.html?hpt=T2

Editor's note: John P. Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for The Daily Beast. He is the author of "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America."

New York (CNN) -- Are you tired of the extremes dominating the debate? Angry about hyperpartisans hijacking American politics? Well, Jon Stewart has a rally for you and me.

The Rally to Restore Sanity is slated for October 30, the weekend before Election Day, on the Washington Mall.

This isn't a concealed campaign rally for either party. It's a counterprotest against the rising tide of conformity that causes hyperpartisans to demonize people with whom they disagree. It's the anti-demagogue Saturday on the mall; people taking to the streets and yelling, "Be reasonable!"

Here's how Stewart described it on "The Daily Show": "We live in troubled times, with real people who have real problems. ... Problems that have real but imperfect solutions, that I believe 70 to 80 percent of our population could agree to try, and ultimately live with. Unfortunately, the conversation and the process is controlled by the other 15 to 20 percent.

"You may know them as the people who believe that Obama is a secret Muslim planning a socialist takeover of America ... or that George Bush let 9/11 happen to help pad Dick Cheney's Halliburton stock portfolio. You've seen their signs: 'Obama is Hitler'; 'Bush is Hitler'... But why don't we hear from the 70 to 80 percenters? Well, most likely because you have sh*t to do."

Among the signs suggested for the rally:

-- "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler"

-- "9/11 was an outside job"

-- "Got Competence?"

-- "I'm not afraid of Muslims, Tea Partiers, Socialists, Immigrants, Gun Owners or Gays ... but I am scared of spiders."

-- "Take it Down a Notch For America"

In the week since the Rally to Restore Sanity was announced, more than 100,000 people have signed up on Facebook (not exactly a scientific measure of success but a good gauge of interest), and more than 900,000 people have watched the announcement on the Comedy Central website.

For those who like their mock politics laced with paranoia, the indispensable Stephen Colbert is offering an alternative to the earnestness with his "Keep Fear Alive" rally. Those three words sum up an entire established media and political strategy.

All this excitement is a reflection of the fact that Jon Stewart earned the title of "the most trusted man in news" in a Time magazine online poll last year.

Sure, Stewart and Colbert are comedians and their rallies could wind up boosting ratings for their shows. But there's a serious point underlying these events.

Media manipulation by professional partisans on both sides has become so predictable that satire has emerged as the last, best way to cut through the spin cycle.

Viewers' intelligence is respected even as they are entertained, and between laughs the civic backbone begins to straighten a bit. News doesn't need to taste like medicine, and nonpartisan does not have to mean neutral.

There is a silent majority of Americans who feel politically homeless in today's polarized debates. They are not activists obsessed with politics. But they are no less patriotic than the partisans.

They are active citizens with busy lives. They view government as an attempt to solve problems, not a war between special interests or an hate-fueled ideological debate camp. And too often they are ignored.

Stewart's rally recognizes that there is an opportunity here -- a massive unmet market between the 15 percent of Americans who call themselves conservative Republicans and the 11 percent of Americans who describe themselves as liberal Democrats.

The conventional wisdom media strategy depends on appeals to narrow but intense niche audiences -- frequently using conflict, tension, fear and resentment.

The political extension of that approach is the low-turnout closed partisan primaries that get flooded with out-of-state activist money and nominate a Christine O'Donnell in Delaware or kick out Mayor Adrian Fenty in Washington without ever giving independents or members of the opposite party a chance to vote. All this will seem absurd one day, but right now it's the status quo.

Our country is being polarized for political, partisan and personal profit. And it's time for the center to push back.

Unconnected but not unrelated to the Stewart rally is another sign that the center is starting to strike back -- independent New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is supporting centrist candidates on both sides of the aisle, a mind-blowing idea in the "your team vs. mine" world of Washington.

But of course that centrist approach is how most Americans think -- they try to vote for the person, not the party.

And they understand that the two parties have increasingly become obstacles to the open functioning of democracy. That's why 40 percent of Americans have declared their independence from the two parties, creating the largest and fastest-growing segment of the electorate, independent voters.

I wrote "Wingnuts" to warn about the rise of extremism in the age of Obama, detailing the way hyperpartisans have hijacked our politics and artificially divided our country. We are now locked in a cycle of incitement that is crippling our ability to unite and solve problems absent a crisis.

It's a long war, with plenty of battles won and lost but Stewart has been sounding the alarm for a while. In my appearance on "The Daily Show" five years ago, I first heard Stewart offer up the ironic battle cry "take to the streets and yell 'be reasonable!' " Now it's time to put that idea into action.

People are already asking whether Stewart's "Restoring Sanity" rally can outdraw Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" religious revival on the Washington Mall this summer. It's a proxy for the larger question of whether the centrists will ever care as much as the activist extremes.

Others question why we should take this media event seriously in a high-stakes election season. It matters because we're going to need to draw on this spirit no matter what happens on Election Day.

If humor can help rebalance politics by pointing out the absurdities of what currently passes for debate, it is far better than throwing more red meat into the arena. It's even better if the proponent punches both left and right as a matter of principle, as this rally promises to do.

More examples of independence might be what it takes for the news industry to be trusted again as the honest brokers of American politics.

[DMX7]

The Reverend Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A will make this one to remember.

[jack sommerset]

I guess everyone doesn't think Colbert is clowning around. He will be testifying before Congress on Friday about immigration.

[boutons_deux]

Anybody know if there's a satellite one in SA?

[jn77]

I am going! We will be in DC visiting family in late October, so I plan to check it out. I think it's a great idea. Some comedy, maybe some REASONABLE discusssion with people I do not see eye to eye with. A good time should be had by all.

Big defference Colbert and Stewart KNOW they are comedians. They get it. Yes Stewart skews Liberal (sometimes he's more of a journalist than anyone on TV), but what is worng with that. Comedy central does not front themselves as a news organization. Fox does, They are "fair and balanced." Everything I see on that network is 89% right wing. It's propaganda, and fundraising for the republican party.

MSNBC is mostly left wing. There are some commentators that are more to the middle. I think they have done this to counter Fox. I think comedy central exists to keep us sane. It points out the glaring problems with polotics and takes it to an extreme to make it funny. So why try to make sense of it. Just laugh at it and move on.

[Winehole23]

I guess everyone doesn't think Colbert is clowning around. He will be testifying before Congress on Friday about immigration.Colbert only plays a jackass on TV, I doubt he'll act like one before Congress. I do wonder what Colbert has to teach Congress about immigration, though.

[elbamba]

Big defference Colbert and Stewart KNOW they are comedians. They get it. Yes Stewart skews Liberal (sometimes he's more of a journalist than anyone on TV), but what is worng with that.


I never understood where this idea came from. Stewart is like a daily version of the anchor on SNL.

You might be making that comment as a joke but the truth is that there are a lot of people that think that he is a journalist. I understand your point that news talking heads are not real journalists, but neither is Stewart, yet a rising young population would believe otherwise.

[LnGrrrR]

You might be making that comment as a joke but the truth is that there are a lot of people that think that he is a journalist. I understand your point that news talking heads are not real journalists, but neither is Stewart, yet a rising young population would believe otherwise.

A question: How do you define a "journalist"?

[jn77]

I have watched him ask tougher questions then the "lamestream media" and not let someone get away with blatant lies. He in the interview segment mainly, will pose a tough question and challange the answer with facts if it is called for. I wish the media would take sues from him sometimes. His interviewing stle is actually quite good.

[Bartleby]

I'm thinking about going but it's a three hour drive to get there so I'll probably just watch it at home.

[jack sommerset]

My sister lives close by and is making the trip to watch them. She is a HUGE fan! Since it's Halloween I wonder how many people will wear Bush, Rush or Beck masks and how many people will end up in the emergency room.

[boutons_deux]

These two guys are clowns, comedians, but they aren't stupid or fools.

If there a GTG in SA on Sat 30th, I'll go. Gotta get away from all these shit-kickin, hunting, truck-drivin, right-wing females. :)

[elbamba]

A question: How do you define a "journalist"?

Depends on the era. Someone who can research and report a story without a slant or point of view. very difficult to do, not sure I know of anyone that actually does it. No one pays attention when they do. We would much rather have editorials, which have pretty much dominated the news, in our history, forever.

[Winehole23]

Dominates this forum.

Fact based analysis is scanty. People must not respect it much.

[Winehole23]

(belch)

[Supergirl]

Wish I could go. The outpouring of people on FB who have said they're going makes me think it will be huge. Currently over 162,000 people have said they're going to Stewart's rally

http://www.facebook.com/renjender?v=wall&story_fbid=137992636247054&ref=notif&notif_t=share_reply#!/event.php?eid=118856078167623

[boutons_deux]

There's not a satellite rally in SA area? Austin? Austin full of libtards. Education does that to ya. :lol

[boutons_deux]

'The Daily Show' event is planned as a comical response to Glenn Beck's recent rally — but politically minded fans are taking it, and Stephen Colbert's 'March to Keep Fear Alive,' seriously.

http://readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/69-69/3404-jon-stewarts-qrally-to-restore-sanityq-no-joke-to-many

==============

This could be Stewart's historic "I Have A Joke" moment. :lol

I'm sure Fox Repug Propaganda network will cover this live like they cover Magic Negro's national addresses. :lol

Let the battle the crowd size estimates begin!

[ChumpDumper]

Hopefully CBS hires the aerial photography crowd counters again. It will be entertaining if this outdraws Beck.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Hopefully CBS hires the aerial photography crowd counters again. It will be entertaining if this outdraws Beck.

how could they top beck's 'hundreds of thousands'? I guess this is the latest 'real American' get together..

[ChumpDumper]

how could they top beck's 'hundreds of thousands'?You mean 1.6 million!

[word]

I hear there is going to be a 'March Against Marches' march in January on the mall with tens if not hundreds of unwitting 'participants'.

[TeyshaBlue]

Stewart REGULARLY lampoons and attacks Democrats.

Last night he showcased a woman whom basically pointed out everything that Obama has failed at in this administration.

When's the last time you've seen anything of the sort on Fox criticizing Republicans?

Just because Stewart is a liberal doesn't mean he has to be completely in bed with the Democrats. You can have a liberal lean and still remain (relatively) objective.

Exactly. Stewart has been pounding the Republicans for years because...well, they've had the reigns for years. Now that the Democrats are in the hot seat, they've taken their share of beatings too.:toast