| Revision as of 15:58, 31 October 2010 editUncleDouggie (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers7,718 edits →Rally: Add section titles, make image of Stewart larger, improve layout for readability← Previous edit | Revision as of 16:26, 31 October 2010 edit undoUncleDouggie (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers7,718 edits →Rally: Add section on closing speechNext edit → | ||
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| === Medals === | === Medals === | ||
| Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" (which were cast with an image of an owl) to ] for his calm response to the ], to ] for his contributions outside of wrestling, including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay, to Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to ] ] at a town hall, and to Jacob Isom for ].<ref name=cbs>{{cite web|last=Montopoli |first=Brian |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021281-503544.html |title=Jon Stewart Rallies for Sanity - and Against Cable News |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=2010-10-30 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" (which were cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors) to ] for driving fear of ],<ref>{{cite web|last=Jerome |first=Sara |url=http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/126645-zuckerberg-awarded-fear-award-at-dc-rally |title=Zuckerberg awarded 'fear' medal at D.C. rally |publisher=Thehill.com |date=2010-10-30 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> to ]'s black t-shirt for always appearing during a natural disaster<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/jon-stewart-stephen-colbert-put-on-a-show_b37649|title=Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Put on a Show|date=2010-10-30|accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> and to the news media outlets that barred employees from attending the rally.<ref name=cbs/> Also, videotaped messages were shown featuring ] and ] apologizing for their public acts of unreasonableness.<ref name=cbs/> | Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" (which were cast with an image of an owl) to ] for his calm response to the ], to ] for his contributions outside of wrestling, including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay, to Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to ] ] at a town hall, and to Jacob Isom for ].<ref name=cbs>{{cite web|last=Montopoli |first=Brian |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021281-503544.html |title=Jon Stewart Rallies for Sanity - and Against Cable News |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=2010-10-30 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" (which were cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors) to ] for driving fear of ],<ref>{{cite web|last=Jerome |first=Sara |url=http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/126645-zuckerberg-awarded-fear-award-at-dc-rally |title=Zuckerberg awarded 'fear' medal at D.C. rally |publisher=Thehill.com |date=2010-10-30 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> to ]'s black t-shirt for always appearing during a natural disaster<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/jon-stewart-stephen-colbert-put-on-a-show_b37649|title=Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Put on a Show|date=2010-10-30|accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> and to the news media outlets that barred employees from attending the rally.<ref name=cbs/> Also, videotaped messages were shown featuring ] and ] apologizing for their public acts of unreasonableness.<ref name=cbs/> | ||
| === Closing speech === | |||
| At the conclusion of the rally, Stewart gave a 12 minute speech that included no comedy. Notable quotes were: "We live now in hard times, not end times", "We can have animus and not be enemies" and "If we amplify everything, we hear nothing." He also decried the "extensive effort it takes to hate". <ref>{{Cite web| last=Yen| first=Hope| last2=Woodward| first2=Calvin| url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101030/ap_on_en_tv/us_stewart_colbert_rally| publisher=Yahoo.com| title=In election's shadow, rally draws laughs, activism| date=October 20, 2010| accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> | |||
| === Crowd size === | === Crowd size === | ||
Revision as of 16:26, 31 October 2010
 Poster for the rally | |
| Date | October 30, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Location | The National Mall Washington, D.C. Satellite rallies in 20 or more U.S. cities including Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Chicago; Denver; Honolulu and Boise, Idaho |
| Participants | Hosts: Stephen Colbert Jon Stewart Featured guests: Musical performers: Sponsor: |
| Website | Official website |
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was a demonstration that took place on October 30, 2010, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., led by Jon Stewart and an in-character Stephen Colbert. It was a combination of two previously separate events: Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and Colbert's satirical counterpart, the March to Keep Fear Alive.
Billed as "a rally for the people who've been too busy to go to rallies", the rally's stated purpose was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart describes as the more vocal and extreme 15–20% of Americans who "control the conversation" of United States politics. News reports cast the rally as a satirical response to Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally and Al Sharpton's Reclaim the Dream rally.
Origins
Response to Restoring Honor rally
On August 28, 2010, the Fox News Network's Glenn Beck held a Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial. On the same day, Al Sharpton led a counter march Reclaim the Dream, to mark the forty-seventh anniversary of the historic Great March on Washington. According to New York Magazine, discussion for a satirical public event in response took place behind the scenes at Stewart's The Daily Show as far back as August 12, 2010. Prior to any public discussion from either Stewart or Colbert's parties, Reddit members independently began to discuss the possibility of a Colbert-led rally, often referred to as a "Restoring Truthiness Rally"; some news articles following the initial announcement of the dual rallies credited Reddit for the idea. The rally was coordinated by two former Clinton administration aides and organizers, Craig Minassian and Chris Wayne.
Announcement
Stewart formally announced the "Rally to Restore Sanity" on the September 16, 2010 episode of The Daily Show; Colbert followed by announcing the "March to Keep Fear Alive" on the subsequent episode of The Colbert Report. Stewart stated that the rally was for the majority of Americans—"the 70-80 percenters"—who don't have extreme political views and lack a voice in the media. To illustrate the point, he unveiled a mock motto for the rally: "Take it down a notch for America," and offered protest signs with messages such as "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler." Colbert stated that now was not the time to be reasonable, "Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom!"
On the October 14, 2010 episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, it was announced that the two events had been consolidated into the "Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear". Oprah Winfrey made a special video appearance on The Daily Show, giving tickets to the rally for everyone in the studio audience.
Charity drive
Supporters of the movement began a drive to raise money for educational charities through DonorsChoose.org, a charitable organization where Colbert is on the Board of Directors. In the first 24 hours, supporters raised over $100,000. In the days that followed, that total increased to over $250,000. Jon Stewart promoted the Trust for the National Mall, urging his viewers to make donations on behalf of the rally. As of October 31, 2010, over $188,000 had been donated to the Trust.
Rally
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2010) |
This image shows a section of the crowd on the National Mall between the National Gallery of Art, on the left, and the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, on the right. Speaking during the event, Jon Stewart satirically estimated the crowd at between 10 million and 6 billion attendees.
Setting
As the number of expected participants grew, the rally was moved from the grounds of the Washington Monument to the east end of the Mall facing the Capitol. In order to meet the public safety requirements of the National Park Service permit, the Mall between the Capitol and 14th Street was divided into sections, with access aisles lined by portable fences. Speakers and jumbotron television screens were then placed along both the north and south edges to encourage the crowd to spread out rather than press against the main stage. Portable toilets and first aid stations were also distributed. However, because the rally was held the day before the previously-scheduled Marine Corps Marathon, the rally planners originally requested that they use the portable toilets positioned for the marathon runners. The marathon organizers refused and a duplicate set of portable toilets were positioned on the Mall, with the marathon's toilets blocked off.
Guests
While both Colbert and Stewart were tight-lipped as to the event's schedule and guests, Metromix's Washington DC website published a tentative schedule on October 27, with guest performers said to be confirmed for the event including musicians Sheryl Crow, The Roots and Jeff Tweedy with Mavis Staples along with actors Don Novello (aka Father Guido Sarducci) and Sam Waterston. Other guests included 4troops, Yusuf Islam, Ozzy Osbourne, The O'Jays, John Legend, Tony Bennett, and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Medals
Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" (which were cast with an image of an owl) to Armando Galarraga for his calm response to the blown call that cost him a perfect game, to Mick Foley for his contributions outside of wrestling, including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay, to Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to President Barack Obama at a town hall, and to Jacob Isom for preventing an evangelist from burning a Qur'an. Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" (which were cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors) to Mark Zuckerberg for driving fear of internet privacy, to Anderson Cooper's black t-shirt for always appearing during a natural disaster and to the news media outlets that barred employees from attending the rally. Also, videotaped messages were shown featuring Steven Slater and Teresa Giudice apologizing for their public acts of unreasonableness.
Closing speech
At the conclusion of the rally, Stewart gave a 12 minute speech that included no comedy. Notable quotes were: "We live now in hard times, not end times", "We can have animus and not be enemies" and "If we amplify everything, we hear nothing." He also decried the "extensive effort it takes to hate".
Crowd size
A crowd size estimate commissioned by CBS News and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000 people, plus or minus 10%; in comparison, their estimate for the Restoring Honor rally was 87,000, plus or minus 9,000. USA Today, Voice of America, ABC News, and NBC News all referred to the crowd as tens of thousands of people, with Voice of America noting, "the crowd filled the Mall, from almost in front of the Capitol to the Washington Monument", and ABC remarking, "more than 220,000 people had RSVPed on the rally's Facebook page." Jon Stewart, speaking from the stage, jokingly said there were over 10 million people there. Tony Fox of MTV Networks Entertainment Group estimated that the crowd was more than 250,000 people.
According to local news outlet TBD, "Massive turnout for Saturday's rally quickly overwhelmed the Mall, forcing thousands of people into nearby streets and eventually, just giving up and leaving." Brian Stelter, of the New York Times tweeted, "Publicly, Parks Service doesn't estimate crowds. Privately, it has told Viacom there are "well over 200,000" people at the rally, exec says."
Response
Media response
The Wall Street Journal characterized the Rally as a "send-up" of the recent Washington Restoring Honor rally led by Glenn Beck and the "Reclaim the Dream" commemorative march led by Al Sharpton on August 28, 2010. The Canadian Press called the Stewart/Colbert rallies a "not-so-gentle" swipe at Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally. On September 28, Arianna Huffington announced on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that The Huffington Post would provide "as many buses as people to fill them" at a specified meeting place in Manhattan, although her plans were later trimmed down and required preregistration. In a town hall event on September 29, President Obama mentioned the rally.
Many news organizations sought media credentials to cover the rally. Meanwhile, NPR issued an internal memo barring staffers from attending the rally, stating that: "NPR journalists may not participate in marches and rallies involving causes or issues that NPR covers, nor should they sign petitions or otherwise lend their name to such causes, or contribute money to them. This restriction applies to the upcoming Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rallies." NBC and several other media outlets followed suit, some barring employees from attending the rally outright, while others such as The Washington Post offered more latitude, telling newsroom managers to differentiate between "participating" and "observing."
After Stewart appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show on September 21, she endorsed the rally via Twitter. On October 14, Oprah Winfrey appeared on The Daily Show and gave the attending audience all free airline tickets to the Restoring Sanity Rally. In the same fashion as she would give away secret prizes to her own audience members on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the tickets were hidden under all audience members' seats. Immediately afterwards, Stephen Colbert did the same on his own show, except he gave the audience free Chinatown bus tickets to the Rally, while announcing that his and Stewart's events were now a single event, also unveiling a new logo image for the single event.
Public response
In the night following the announcement, the pledged number of attendees to the official Facebook event reached 69,000. Although organizers said in their application for a permit from the National Park Service that they hoped for an attendance at the combined event of about 25,000 people, as of 18:04 EST October 13, the Facebook page for restoring sanity had 203,128 people indicating they planned to attend, comparable to some estimates of the attendance at Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally. According to WashingtonDCHotels.com, the demand for hotels has outpaced that of the "Restoring Honor" rally. The events spawned several grassroots websites and Facebook groups for organizing and discussion, some with more than 10,000 followers. In addition, there were proposals for dozens of sister rallies in other major cities, such as Seattle, Chicago, Austin, and Los Angeles to take place on the same day as the demonstration in Washington, D.C.
See also
References
- Steffen, Jordan; Gold, Matea. "Thousands descend on National Mall for Stewart's and Colbert's 'Sanity' rally". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Interactive.
- "200K turn out to 'Restore Sanity' in Washington". Toronto Sun. October 30, 2010.
- ^ "US comics unveil dueling DC political rallies," September, 17, 2010, AFP.
- ^ "Dueling Rallies Spike Hotel Bookings". NBC. September 28, 2010.
- Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (August 12, 2010). ""August 12, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central.
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|began=,|city=,|serieslink=,|ended=,|transcripturl=, and|seriesno=(help) - Chris Smith (September 12). "America Is a Joke". New York Magazine. New York Media LLC. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "100,000 Strong to Restore Truthiness to the US Capital". Facebook. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ^ Bell, Melissa. "Blog Post - 'Rally to Restore Sanity' to meet 'March to Keep Fear Alive;' Reddit users talk about starting the online campaign". Voices.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- Smith, Ben (2010-09-20). "Stewart and Colbert's political 'joke' - POLITICO.com Print View". Dyn.politico.com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (September 16, 2010). ""September 16, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central.
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|began=,|city=,|serieslink=,|ended=,|transcripturl=, and|seriesno=(help) - "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Announcement". Comedy Central. October 14, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- "Donations to date". Trust for the National Mall.
- Tavernise, Sabrina; Stelter, Brian. "At Rally, Thousands — Billions? — Respond". The New York Times.
- "Stewart, Colbert Rallies Looking for a Few Good Porta-Potties". AOL News. October 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- ""Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Schedule". Metromix. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
- ""Jon Stewart Opens The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear (VIDEO)"". TPM. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- Petri, Alexandra. "Peace Trains, Crazy Trains, Love Trains and automobiles at Stewart rally". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- "Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear' draws thousands of New Yorkers". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Stanglin, Douglas. "'Sanity' rally draws tens of thousands". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- ^ Montopoli, Brian (2010-10-30). "Jon Stewart Rallies for Sanity - and Against Cable News". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Jerome, Sara (2010-10-30). "Zuckerberg awarded 'fear' medal at D.C. rally". Thehill.com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- "Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Put on a Show". 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Yen, Hope; Woodward, Calvin (October 20, 2010). "In election's shadow, rally draws laughs, activism". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- ^ Montopoli, Brian (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000". CBS News.
- Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally Crowd Estimate Explained by CBS News
- 'Sanity' rally draws tens of thousands USA Today
- Tens of Thousands Rally for Laughs, Activism in Washington Voice of America
- Stewart and Colbert's DC Rally Staged for Comedy, Not Politics ABC News
- ^ Lisa Lerer and Traci McMillan (2010-10-31). "Jon Stewart Says Press, Politicians Are Creating Extremism". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Jon Stewart rally: Huge turnout forces early retreat to nearby bars TBD; October 30, 2010
- Brian Stelter — Twitter Feed; Twitter.com; October 30, 2010
- "‘Rally to Restore Sanity’: Jon Stewart on His March on Washington," September 17, 2010, Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Comedy colleagues Stewart, Colbert plan D.C. rallies; Duo’s events are a swipe at Glenn Beck and the politics of fear," September 17, 2010, Globe and Mail.
- "HuffPost Sanity Bus: Arianna Offers Buses To Jon Stewart's Rally To Restore Sanity (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. 2010-09-28. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- "HuffPost Sanity Bus Info and FAQ". Huffingtonpost.com. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- Ali Weinberg (2009-09-29). "Obama plugs Jon Stewart rally". Firstread.msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- (AP) (2010-09-29). "The Associated Press: Obama backs Jon Stewart's sanity rally on Oct. 30". Google.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- Growing Interest, Despite Questions, in Jon Stewart’s Rally
- Shepard, Alicia C. (2010-10-15). "Employees And Political Rallies: Facts Behind The Controversy : NPR Ombudsman". NPR. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- "NPR Bans Staffers From Attending Stewart and Colbert Rallies | The New York Observer". Observer.com. 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- "News Outlets Follow NPR's Lead: No Staffers at Stewart and Colbert Rallies | The New York Observer". Observer.com. 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Derakhshani, Tirdad (2010-09-25). "Sideshow: Stephen Colbert brings the show to Congress | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/25/2010". Philly.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- Viebeck, Elise (2010-09-22). "Oprah: 'I think Jon Stewart's on to something' with rally - The Hill's Twitter Room". Thehill.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- "Jon Stewart rally". chicagotribune.com. 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- Dvorak, Petula (September 21, 2010). "Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert might actually bring out the real moderates". Washington Post.
- "Niet compatibele browser". Facebook. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- Gold, Matea (September 22, 2010). "Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' could draw tens of thousands". Los Angeles Times.
- Eldeib, Duaa (September 22, 2010). "Stewart rally may get satellite fete in Chicago". Chicago Tribune.
External Links
- Official websites
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