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{{Short description|October 2010 rally in Washington, D.C.}} | |||
{{pp-semi|expiry=November 6, 2010|small=yes}} | |||
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|Image_Caption=Poster for the rally | |Image_Caption=Poster for the rally | ||
|Location= {{plainlist| | |||
|Location=The ]<br>]</p><p>Satellite rallies in 20 or more U.S. cities including ]; ]; ]; ]; ] and ]<ref>{{cite news|newspaper = ]|url = http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/sc-dc-stewart-rally-web-20101030,0,1832736.story|agency = Tribune Interactive|title = Thousands descend on National Mall for Stewart's and Colbert's 'Sanity' rally|first1 = Jordan|last1 = Steffen|first2 = Matea|last2 = Gold}}</ref> | |||
* {{longitem|The ], ]}} | |||
|Participants='''Hosts:'''<br>]<br>]</p><p>'''Featured guests:'''<br>] and ]<br>]<br>]<br>]</p><p>'''Musical performers:'''<br>] and ]<br>]<br>] and ]<br>] and ]<br>], ] and ]<br>] | |||
* Satellite rallies in 20 or more U.S. cities including ]; ]; ]; ]; ]; ] and ]<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-31-la-na-stewart-rally-20101101-story.html|agency=Tribune Interactive|title=Team Sanity numbers more than 200,000, by some estimates|first1=Jordan|last1=Steffen|first2=Matea|last2=Gold|access-date=November 14, 2011|date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
|Participants= {{flatlist| | |||
;Hosts:<br />]<br />] | |||
;Featured guests:<br />The ] (] and ])<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
;Musical performers:<br />] and ]<br />]<br />] and ]<br />] and ]<br />], ] and ]<br />] | |||
}} | |||
|Date=October 30, 2010 | |Date=October 30, 2010 | ||
|URL= | |URL= | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear''' was a ] that took place on October 30, 2010 on the ] in ], led by ] and an ].<ref name=torontosun>{{cite news|title=200K turn out to 'Restore Sanity' in Washington|publisher=Toronto Sun|date=October 30, 2010|url=http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/10/30/15890551.html}}</ref> It was a combination of what previously were planned as separate events: Stewart's '''Rally to Restore Sanity''' and Colbert's ] counterpart, the '''March to Keep Fear Alive'''. | |||
The '''Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear''' was a gathering that took place on October 30, 2010, at the ] in ] The rally was led by ], host of the satirical news program '']'', and ], ] as a ] ], as on his program '']'', both then seen on ].<ref name=torontosun>{{cite news|title=200K turn out to 'Restore Sanity' in Washington|publisher=] |date=October 30, 2010|url=http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/10/30/15890551.html}}</ref> About 215,000 people attended the rally, according to ] analysis by AirPhotosLive.com for '']''.<ref name=cbs-size>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jon-stewart-rally-attracts-estimated-215000/|work=CBS News|title=Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000|first=Brian|last=Montopoli|date=October 30, 2010}}</ref> | |||
The rally's stated purpose was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart |
The rally was a combination of what initially were announced as separate events: Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" and Colbert's counterpart, the "March to Keep Fear Alive". Its stated purpose was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart described as the more vocal and extreme 15–20% of Americans who "control the conversation" of ],<ref name=AFP>{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gkOsOs61eFqq5znyHyVThYNAGTDw|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523114943/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gkOsOs61eFqq5znyHyVThYNAGTDw|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 23, 2012|title=US comics unveil dueling DC political rallies|date=September 17, 2010|agency=]|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> the argument being that these extremes demonize each other and engage in counterproductive actions, with a return to sanity intended to promote reasoned discussion. Despite news reports' description of the rally as a spoof of ]'s ] and ]'s ] rally, and the logo's striking similarity to that of the Restoring Honor rally, Stewart insisted the contrary.<ref name=NBC/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/51942/212962|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002054239/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/51942/212962|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2010|title=Jon Stewart: Rallies Not a Response to Glenn Beck|publisher=Rolling Stone|date=September 30, 2010|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> | ||
== |
==Origins== | ||
=== |
===Response to Restoring Honor rally=== | ||
On August 28, 2010, the ] |
On August 28, 2010, the ] Channel's Glenn Beck held a "Restoring Honor" rally at the ]. On the same day, ] led a countermarch, called ], to mark the 47th anniversary of the historic ].<ref name=NBC/> According to '']'', discussion for a satirical public event in response took place behind the scenes at Stewart's '']'' as early as August 12.<ref>{{Cite episode|title="August 12, 2010"|series=The Daily Show with Jon Stewart|credits=Executive Producers: ], Josh Lieb, ]|network=]|airdate=August 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/arts/tv/profiles/68086/index1.html|title=America Is a Joke|author=Chris Smith|date=September 12, 2011|work=]|publisher=New York Media LLC.|pages=2, 5|access-date=September 18, 2010}}</ref> Stewart has stated that the rally was never intended to be a means to counter Glenn Beck, but was simply another format for his and Colbert's style of humor, saying "We saw and thought, 'What a beautiful outline. What a beautiful structure to fill with what we want to express in live form, festival form.'"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130321994|title=Jon Stewart: The Most Trusted Name In Fake News|date=October 4, 2010|work=]|publisher=National Public Radio|access-date=November 6, 2010}}</ref> Before any public discussion by Stewart, Colbert, or their staffs, members of the ] website ] independently began to discuss the possibility of a Colbert-led rally, often referred to as a "Restoring ] Rally".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150942998258775|title=100,000 Strong to Restore Truthiness to the US Capital|publisher=Facebook|access-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> After the rallies were announced, some news articles credited Reddit for the idea.<ref name=washingtonpost1>{{cite news |last=Bell |first=Melissa |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2010/09/rally_to_restore_sanity_to_mee.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918011636/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2010/09/rally_to_restore_sanity_to_mee.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |title=Blog Post – 'Rally to Restore Sanity' to meet 'March to Keep Fear Alive;' Reddit users talk about starting the online campaign |newspaper=] |date=September 17, 2010 |access-date=September 20, 2010}}</ref> | ||
=== |
===Announcement=== | ||
] | ] | ||
Stewart first hinted at the event on the September 7 episode of ''The Daily Show'' by declaring that " have an announcement sometime in the near to not so near future."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-7-2010/moment-of-zen---jon-s-important-announcement |title=Moment of Zen – Jon's Important Announcement – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 09/07/10 – Video Clip {{pipe}} Comedy Central |publisher=Thedailyshow.com |date=September 7, 2010|access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref> Colbert, in that night's episode of ''The Report'' (which aired immediately following ''The Daily Show''), said that he, too, had an announcement to make. In the following days, Stewart and Colbert used their shows to hype their respective announcements, competing over whose would be more significant. The banter finally culminated with Stewart formally announcing the "Rally to Restore Sanity" on the September 16, 2010 episode of ''The Daily Show'';<ref>{{Cite episode|title="September 16, 2010"|series=The Daily Show with Jon Stewart|credits=Executive Producers: ], Josh Lieb, ]|network=]|airdate=September 16, 2010}}</ref> Colbert followed by announcing the "March to Keep Fear Alive" on the subsequent episode of ''The Colbert Report.'' | |||
Stewart formally announced the "Rally to Restore Sanity" on the September 16, 2010 episode of ''The Daily Show'';<ref>{{Cite episode |title="September 16, 2010"|url= |series=The Daily Show with Jon Stewart|serieslink= |credits=Executive Producers: ], Josh Lieb, ]|network=]|station= |city= |airdate=September 16, 2010|began= |ended= |season= |seriesno= |number= |minutes= |transcript= |transcripturl= |quote=}}</ref> 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!" | |||
Stewart declared that his rally was intended for the majority of Americans, "the 70–80 percenters," who do not hold 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." A series of protest sign designs were proposed on the ''Daily Show'' featuring messages such as "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not ]." Colbert responded to Stewart's proposal by challenging the theme of Stewart's rally and justifying his own "March to Keep Fear Alive." Noting that this was not the time to be reasonable, Colbert declared, "Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom!"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/quotes/0,26174,2019855,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920143234/http://www.time.com/time/quotes/0,26174,2019855,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 20, 2010|publisher=]|title=Quotes of the Day|date=September 17, 2010|access-date=November 13, 2011}}</ref> | |||
On October 14, 2010, ] appeared on ''The Daily Show'' via video and gave the attending audience all free airline tickets to the rally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-14-2010/rally-to-restore-sanity-and-or-fear-announcement |title=Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Announcement |publisher=Comedy Central |date= October 14, 2010 |accessdate=2010-10-15}}</ref> The tickets were hidden under the audience members' seats in the same fashion as she has given away prizes to her own audience members on '']''. Immediately afterward, Stephen Colbert did the same on his own show, except he gave his audience free ] tickets to the rally. It was also announced that the two events had been consolidated into the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear," with a new combined logo. {{clear}} | |||
] appeared on ''The Daily Show'' via video on October 14, 2010, to award the attending audience free airfare to the rally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-14-2010/rally-to-restore-sanity-and-or-fear-announcement|title=Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Announcement|publisher=Comedy Central|date=October 14, 2010|access-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> The plane tickets were hidden under the audience members' seats in the same fashion as she has given away prizes to her own audience members on '']''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jon-stewarts-rally-to-restore-sanity-a-non-political-rally-that-is-actually-politically-charged/|date=October 30, 2010|title=Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity:" A "Non-Political" Rally That Is Actually Politically Charged|first=Christine|last=Delargy|publisher=]|access-date=November 13, 2011}}</ref> In the episode of the ''Colbert Report'' airing immediately afterward, Stephen Colbert also offered tickets to his rally. ] offered to provide free bus rides to the rally. During the show, Colbert also revealed to Stewart that he did not possess a permit to legally organize the "March to Keep Fear Alive," leading Stewart to propose combining the two events into the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" that would feature a new combined logo.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/oprah-becomes-latest-star-to-lend-celebrity-endorsement-to-stewarts-rally |title=Oprah Latest Star to Lend Celebrity Endorsement to Stewart's Rally | work=] | date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> | |||
=== Response to the announcement === | |||
{{Clear}} | |||
In the night following the announcement, the pledged number of attendees to the event reached 69,000 on Facebook.<ref name=AFP/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-stewart-rally-0923-20100922,0,4916287.story |title=Jon Stewart rally |publisher=chicagotribune.com |date=2010-09-22 |accessdate=2010-10-15}}</ref> Although organizers said in their application for a permit from the ] that they hoped for an attendance at the combined event of about 25,000 people,<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Washington Post|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/20/AR2010092005998.html?hpid=news-col-blog|first=Petula|last=Dvorak|date=September 21, 2010|title=Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert might actually bring out the real moderates}}</ref> as of October 13, 2010, the Facebook page for restoring sanity had 203,128<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118856078167623 |title=Niet compatibele browser |publisher=Facebook |date= |accessdate=2010-10-15}}</ref> people indicating they planned to attend. According to WashingtonDCHotels.com,<ref name="NBC">{{cite news|publisher=]|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/around-town/events/Dueling-Rallies-Spike-Hotel-Bookings-103892163.html|date=September 28, 2010|title=Dueling Rallies Spike Hotel Bookings}}</ref> the demand for hotels outpaced that of the "Restoring Honor" rally. The planned events spawned several grassroots websites and ] groups for organizing and discussion, some with more than 10,000 followers. In addition, there were proposals made for dozens of sister rallies in other major cities, such as ], ], ],<ref>{{cite news|publisher=]|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/22/nation/la-na-stewart-rally-20100923|first=Matea|last=Gold|date=September 22, 2010|title=Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' could draw tens of thousands}}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Chicago Tribune|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-stewart-rally-0923-20100922,0,4916287.story |first=Duaa|last=Eldeib|date=September 22, 2010|title=Stewart rally may get satellite fete in Chicago}}</ref> to take place on the same day as the demonstration in Washington, D.C. | |||
=== |
===Response to the announcement=== | ||
On the night following the announcement, the pledged number of attendees to the event reached 69,000 on ].<ref name=AFP/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-stewart-rally-0923-20100922,0,4916287.story|title=Jon Stewart rally|publisher=chicagotribune.com|date=September 22, 2010|access-date=October 15, 2010|first=Duaa|last=Eldeib}}</ref> This number far exceeded the 25,000 that the rally organizers had indicated as the estimated number of attendees on the ] application for a rally permit.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/20/AR2010092005998.html?hpid=news-col-blog|first=Petula|last=Dvorak|date=September 21, 2010|access-date=September 21, 2010|title=Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert might actually bring out the real moderates}}</ref> The demand for hotels during the period of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear outpaced that of the "Restoring Honor" rally.<ref name=NBC>{{cite news|publisher=]|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/around-town/events/Dueling-Rallies-Spike-Hotel-Bookings-103892163.html|date=September 28, 2010|title=Dueling Rallies Spike Hotel Bookings}}</ref> The rally spawned several grassroots websites and ] groups for organizing and discussion, some with more than 10,000 followers. Proposals were made for dozens of sister rallies in other major cities, such as ], ], ],<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-sep-22-la-na-stewart-rally-20100923-story.html|first=Matea|last=Gold|date=September 22, 2010|title=Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' could draw tens of thousands}}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-stewart-rally-0923-20100922,0,4916287.story|first=Duaa|last=Eldeib|date=September 22, 2010|title=Stewart rally may get satellite fete in Chicago}}</ref> to take place on the same day as the demonstration in Washington, D.C. On September 28, ] announced on ''The Daily Show'' that '']'' would provide "as many buses as people to fill them" at a specified meeting place in Manhattan,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/sanity-bus-arianna-offers_n_742739.html|title=HuffPost Sanity Bus: Arianna Offers Buses To Jon Stewart's Rally To Restore Sanity (VIDEO)|publisher=Huffingtonpost.com|date=September 28, 2010|access-date=October 15, 2010|first=Rob|last=Fishman}}</ref> although her plans were later scaled back and preregistration was imposed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/03/huffpost-sanity-bus-offic_n_745313.html|title=HuffPost Sanity Bus Info and FAQ|publisher=Huffingtonpost.com|date=October 22, 2010|access-date=October 29, 2010|first=Rob|last=Fishman}}</ref> | |||
Supporters of the movement began a ] to raise money for educational charities through ], a ] 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.<ref name="washingtonpost1" /> Jon Stewart promoted the ], 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Donations to date|publisher=Trust for the National Mall|url=https://www.nationalmall.org/donationform.php/rtrs?fund=Rally%20to%20Restore%20Sanity}}</ref> | |||
The '']'' characterized the Rally as a "send-up" of the Washington Restoring Honor rally led by Glenn Beck and the "Reclaim the Dream" commemorative march led by Al Sharpton on August 28, 2010.<ref name=WSJstaff>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/17/rally-to-restore-sanity-jon-stewart-on-his-march-on-washington/|title='Rally to Restore Sanity': Jon Stewart on His March on Washington|date=September 17, 2010|newspaper=]|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> ] called the Stewart/Colbert rallies a "not-so-gentle" swipe at Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally.<ref name=Globemail>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/comedy-colleagues-stewart-colbert-plan-dc-rallies/article1711983/|title=Comedy colleagues Stewart, Colbert plan D.C. rallies; Duo's events are a swipe at Glenn Beck and the politics of fear|date=September 17, 2010|newspaper=]|access-date=November 14, 2011|location=Toronto}} {{Registration required|date=November 2011}}</ref> During a town hall event on September 29, ] cited the forthcoming rally as representing those people who are concerned with more than just the political beliefs of others, in contrast to "provocative" cable news programs.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ali Weinberg|url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/29/5203437-obama-plugs-jon-stewart-rally|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001153601/http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/29/5203437-obama-plugs-jon-stewart-rally|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2010|title=Obama plugs Jon Stewart rally|publisher=]|work=First Read|date=September 29, 2009|access-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> | |||
== Rally == | |||
{{wide image|Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear - 2010-10-30 - Panora of Crowd.jpg|800px|A section of the crowd on the National Mall between the ] on the left, and the ] ] on the right. Speaking during the event, Jon Stewart satirically estimated the crowd size between 10 million and 6 billion attendees.<ref name="nyt_billion">{{cite news|newspaper = ]|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/us/politics/31rally.html|title = At Rally, Thousands — Billions? — Respond|first1 = Sabrina|last1 = Tavernise|first2 = Brian|last2 = Stelter}}</ref>}} | |||
Many news organizations sought media credentials to cover the rally.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carter |first=Bill |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/business/media/15rally.html?_r=3 |title=Growing Interest, Despite Questions, in Jon Stewart's Rally |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 14, 2010 |access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref> Anticipating staff interest in attending for non-professional purposes, ] barred staffers from attending the rally in a memo that stated: "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."<ref>{{cite web|last=Shepard|first=Alicia C.|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2010/10/14/130573793/stewart-colbert|title=Employees And Political Rallies: Facts Behind The Controversy: NPR Ombudsman|publisher=NPR|date=October 15, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.observer.com/2010/media/npr-bans-staffers-attending-stewart-and-colbert-rallies|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015212541/http://www.observer.com/2010/media/npr-bans-staffers-attending-stewart-and-colbert-rallies|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 15, 2010|title=NPR Bans Staffers From Attending Stewart and Colbert Rallies {{pipe}} The New York Observer|publisher=Observer.com|date=October 13, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> ] and several other media outlets followed suit. Some barred employees from attending the rally outright, while others such as '']'' offered more latitude, telling newsroom managers to differentiate between "participating" and "observing."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/news-outlets-follow-nprs-lead-no-staffers-stewart-and-colbert-rallies|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018233809/http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/news-outlets-follow-nprs-lead-no-staffers-stewart-and-colbert-rallies|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 18, 2010|title=News Outlets Follow NPR's Lead: No Staffers at Stewart and Colbert Rallies |publisher=The New York Observer|date=October 14, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> | |||
=== 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. The stage was on the east side of the rally with an open back, allowing the Capitol building to provide the backdrop for the performances. 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 placed along both the north and south edges to encourage the crowd to spread out rather than press against the main stage. | |||
===Charity drive=== | |||
Portable toilets and first aid stations were also provided. Because the rally was held the day before the previously scheduled ], the rally planners originally requested to share the portable toilets planned for the marathon runners. The marathon organizers refused and so a duplicate set of portable toilets was ordered.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/stewart-colbert-rallies-looking-for-a-few-good-porta-potties/19664942?a_dgi=aolshare_facebook|title=Stewart, Colbert Rallies Looking for a Few Good Porta-Potties|date=October 7, 2010|work=AOL News|accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> | |||
Prior to the announcement of the joint rally, supporters of the movement for a Colbert-led march had begun a ] to raise money for educational charities through ].org, a ] of which Colbert is a member of 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,<ref name=washingtonpost1/> and by the day of the rally over $500,000 had been contributed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Restoring Truthiness Giving Page|publisher=DonorsChoose.org|url=http://www.donorschoose.org/truthiness}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Donations to date|publisher=Trust for the National Mall|url=https://www.nationalmall.org/donationform.php/rtrs?fund=Rally%20to%20Restore%20Sanity|access-date=October 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910215030/https://www.nationalmall.org/donationform.php/rtrs?fund=Rally%20to%20Restore%20Sanity|archive-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
==Rally== | |||
{{center|{{Image gallery|Rally to Restore Sanity andor Fear - Jon Stewart.jpg|Jon Stewart on stage wearing an American flag coat.|Jon Stewart during the rally.|2010-10-30 10-45-58irespect.JPG|I want you to stop drawing Hitler mustaches on everyone.|A demonstrator's sign.|RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY 2010.jpg|A sea of people.|View from the Mall towards the stage and Capitol Building.}}}} | |||
===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. The stage was on the east side of the rally with an open back, allowing the Capitol building to provide the backdrop for the performances. 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 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 provided. Because the rally was held the day before the previously scheduled ], the rally planners originally requested to share the portable toilets planned for the marathon runners. The marathon organizers refused, so a second set of portable toilets was ordered.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/stewart-colbert-rallies-looking-for-a-few-good-porta-potties/19664942?a_dgi=aolshare_facebook|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116084857/http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/stewart-colbert-rallies-looking-for-a-few-good-porta-potties/19664942?a_dgi=aolshare_facebook|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 16, 2018|title=Stewart, Colbert Rallies Looking for a Few Good Porta-Potties|date=October 7, 2010|work=AOL News|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> | |||
=== Guests === | |||
===Guests=== | |||
], one of several guests at the rally]] | |||
], one of several guests at the rally]] | |||
While both Colbert and Stewart were tight-lipped as to the event's schedule and guests, ]'s Washington DC website published a tentative schedule on October 27, with guest performers said to be confirmed for the event including musicians ], ] and ] with ] along with actors ] (appearing as ]) and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dc.metromix.com/events/article/rally-to-restore-sanity/2268575/content |title="Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Schedule |publisher=Metromix |date= |accessdate=2010-10-27}}</ref> Other guests included ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/jon-stewart-opens-the-rally-to-restore-sanity-andor-fear-video.php |title="Jon Stewart Opens The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear (VIDEO)" |publisher=TPM |date= |accessdate=2010-10-30}}</ref> ], ], ],<ref name=train>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/compost/2010/10/peace_trains_crazy_trains_love.html|title=Peace Trains, Crazy Trains, Love Trains and automobiles at Stewart rally | |||
|first=Alexandra |
While both Colbert and Stewart were tight-lipped as to the event's schedule and guests, ]'s Washington DC website published a tentative schedule on October 27, with guest performers said to be confirmed for the event including musicians ], ] and ] with ] along with actors ] (appearing as ]) and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dc.metromix.com/events/article/rally-to-restore-sanity/2268575/content|title="Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Schedule|publisher=Metromix|date=October 27, 2010|access-date=October 27, 2010}}</ref> Other guests included ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/jon-stewart-opens-the-rally-to-restore-sanity-andor-fear-video.php|title=Jon Stewart Opens The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear (VIDEO)|publisher=TPM|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 30, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101183931/http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/jon-stewart-opens-the-rally-to-restore-sanity-andor-fear-video.php|archive-date=November 1, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Yusuf Islam – formerly known as ], ], ],<ref name=train>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/compost/2010/10/peace_trains_crazy_trains_love.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014234227/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/compost/2010/10/peace_trains_crazy_trains_love.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 14, 2012|title=Peace Trains, Crazy Trains, Love Trains and automobiles at Stewart rally|first=Alexandra|last=Petri|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=October 30, 2010}}</ref> ], ], ],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/10/30/2010-10-30_thousands_of_new_yorkers_drawn_to_stephen_colbert_jon_stewart_rally_to_restore_s.html|title=Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear' draws thousands of New Yorkers|publisher=] |date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> '']'' hosts ] and ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130952931|title='Sanity/Fear' Rally A Protest of the Absurd|website=NPR.org|publisher=] |access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> basketball player ],<ref>{{cite news|last=Stanglin|first=Douglas|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/8100978/Thousands-attend-Rally-to-Restore-Sanity-in-Washington.html|title=Thousands attend 'Rally to Restore Sanity' in Washington|newspaper=]|date=November 1, 2010|access-date=November 12, 2011|location=London}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/10/5-funniest-moments-of-the-rally-to-restore-sanity-and-or-fear/65448/|title=5 Funniest Moments of the 'Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear'|first=Nicole|last=Allan|work=]|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=February 24, 2011}}</ref> | ||
=== |
===Comedy=== | ||
] on stage]] | |||
Satirical comedy was woven throughout the rally with Colbert expressing, in parody, that fear was superior to Stewart's reasonableness. The theme started with Colbert – costumed like ] – emerging from his "fear bunker" in a capsule reminiscent of the ].<ref name=yahoo-news>{{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> Thereafter, Colbert challenged Stewart point by point, usually claiming victory. | |||
Satirical comedy was woven throughout the rally with Colbert expressing, in parody, that fear was superior to Stewart's reasonableness. The theme started with Colbert—costumed like ]—emerging from his "fear bunker" in a capsule reminiscent of the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20101108_218_A11_TheWas66103|title=Rallying with revelry, goofiness|first=Robert|last=Evatt|newspaper=]|date=November 8, 2010|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> Thereafter, Colbert challenged Stewart point by point, usually claiming victory. | |||
One of their battles |
One of their battles was waged over three songs about trains. Stewart started with ] singing "]," which was interrupted continually by Colbert-backed ] singing "]." The audience held up ] for "Peace Train" and ] for "Crazy Train." Finally, Stewart and Colbert compromised singing "]" with ].<ref name="train" /> | ||
] in American flag coat]] | |||
Later, Stewart and Colbert donned matching American flag coats and sang an original song "Greatest, strongest, country in the world" with lyrics such as “My ] electric scooter does 100 ].”<ref name=nbc-ny>{{Cite web| last=Hester| first=Jere| url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/television/Boldly-Pushing-the-Bounds-of-Sanity-Fear--and-Comedy-106403678.html| publisher=]| title=Boldly Pushing the Bounds of Sanity, Fear – and Comedy| date=November 1, 2010| accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref> | |||
Later, Stewart and Colbert donned matching American flag coats and sang an original song "The Greatest, Strongest Country in the World" with lyrics that reflected common liberal and conservative stereotypes, such as "I love ] halftime shows with tons of TNT. ... My ] electric scooter does 100 ]. From gay men who like football ... to straight men who like '']'' ..."<ref name="nbc-ny">{{cite web|last=Hester|first=Jere|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/television/Boldly-Pushing-the-Bounds-of-Sanity-Fear--and-Comedy-106403678.html|publisher=]|title=Boldly Pushing the Bounds of Sanity, Fear – and Comedy|date=November 1, 2010|access-date=November 1, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In the finale, a giant ] puppet of Colbert ("Fearzilla") was brought on stage to symbolize his superiority. ] |
In the finale, a giant ] puppet of Colbert ("Fearzilla") was brought on stage to symbolize his superiority. ]—played by ]—then appeared and led the crowd in a chant that caused Colbert and his puppet to melt into the stage, thereby handing final victory to Stewart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesdelphic.com/2010/11/04/rally-to-restore-sanity|title=Rally to Restore Sanity|first=Heather|last=Hall|date=November 4, 2010|work=The Times-Delphic|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> | ||
=== |
===Medals=== | ||
Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" cast in bronze with an image of an owl and the ] motto ''Sit vis nobiscum,'' liberally translated by Stewart as "]," to: | |||
] | |||
* ] for his calm response to the ]. | |||
Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" cast in bronze with an image of an owl and the ] motto ''Sit vis nobiscum'', liberally translated by Stewart as ] to: | |||
* ] for his calm response to the ] that cost him a perfect game. | |||
* ] for his contributions outside of ], including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay. | * ] for his contributions outside of ], including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay. | ||
* Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to ] ] at a ]. | * Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to ] ] at a ]. | ||
* Jacob Isom for preventing an evangelist from ].<ref name=cbs>{{cite |
* Jacob Isom for preventing an evangelist from ].<ref name="cbs">{{cite news|last=Montopoli|first=Brian|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jon-stewart-rallies-for-sanity-and-against-cable-news/|title=Jon Stewart Rallies for Sanity — and Against Cable News|publisher=CBS News|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> | ||
Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors and the Latin motto ''Cave ne cadmium sit'' |
Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors and the Latin motto ''Cave ne cadmium sit,'' which Colbert translated as "Warning: May contain Cadmium," to: | ||
* Several news media outlets, collectively, for barring employees from attending the rally on their own time.<ref name="cbs" /> | |||
* ] for making ] increase fear with regard to ].<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> | |||
* A "black |
* A "tight black T-shirt" that Colbert said belonged to CNN's ], for always appearing during natural disasters reported on by Cooper.<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|publisher=Media Bistro|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> | ||
* ] for making ] increase fear with regard to ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Jerome|first=Sara|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/74001-zuckerberg-awarded-fear-medal-at-d-c-rally/|title=Zuckerberg awarded 'fear' medal at D.C. rally|work=The Hill|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> | |||
* Several news media outlets, collectively, for barring employees from attending the rally on their own time.<ref name=cbs/> | |||
Zuckerberg's award was presented ]. The media outlets' award was accepted on their behalf by "someone with more |
Zuckerberg's award was presented ''].'' The media outlets' award was accepted on their behalf by "someone with more courage—a seven-year-old girl."<ref>{{cite news|title=Jon Stewart 'Rally to Restore Sanity' highlights|newspaper=The ] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/30/AR2010103002320.html|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> Also, videotaped messages were shown of ], known from the 2010 ], and ] star ], both apologizing for public acts of "unreasonableness."<ref name="cbs" /> | ||
==="A Moment of Sincerity" speech=== | |||
===Closing remarks=== | |||
After defeating Colbert's "Fearzilla", Stewart closed the rally with a "moment ... for some sincerity" to explain his intentions for the rally:<ref name="crave">{{cite web|url=http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/132858-metal-meets-folk-meets-soul-at-the-rally-to-restore-sanity|title=Metal Meets Folk Meets Soul at The Rally To Restore Sanity: The Roots, Ozzy, Cat Stevens, Kid Rock and more joined Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Saturday in D.C. in a show of sanity|first=Johnny|last=Firecloud|work=Crave Online|publisher=CRAVEONLINE MEDIA, LLC|date=October 31, 2010|access-date=November 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529010235/http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/132858-metal-meets-folk-meets-soul-at-the-rally-to-restore-sanity|archive-date=May 29, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
Excerpts from Stewart's concluding 12-minute speech follow. | |||
{{Quote box|style = padding: 20px 40px 23px 40px|fontsize = 100%|border = 1px|tfontsize = 110%|title = |source = — Jon Stewart|quote = ]|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/30/rally-to-restore-sanity-huffington-post-_n_776541.html|title = My Day At The Rally To Restore Sanity|date = October 31, 2001|first = Jason|last = Linkins}}</ref> (Shown: The ], linking ] and ])]] | |||
{{blockquote|This was not a rally to ridicule people of ], or people of ], or look down our noses at the ], or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are, and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times.}} | |||
And now I thought we might have a moment, however brief, for some sincerity, if that’s OK. | |||
He criticized the role the press plays in ] debates, stating that the media—which he described as "the country's ] perpetual panic 'conflict-inator'"—only amplifies problems and no longer makes a distinction between "hav animus" and "be enemies." He warned that demonizing opponents and accepting propaganda makes people "less safe, not more" and that "it is an insult, not only to those people, but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate."<ref name="crave" /> | |||
... This was not a rally to ridicule people of ], or people of ], or look down our noses at the ], or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are, and we do.</p><p> | |||
Much of the speech was devoted to the idea that "ost Americans don't live their lives solely as ], ], ] or ]." He spoke on the subject of "reasonable compromises" that happen "every day" between persons of different beliefs, citing as an example traffic merging at the entrance to the ] connecting ] and ].<ref name="crave" /> | |||
But we live now in hard times, not ]s. And we can have animus, and not be enemies. But unfortunately, one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s ]' perpetual panic ''"conflictinator"'' did not cause our problems, but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems, bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen. Or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire, and then perhaps host a week of shows on the "dangerous, unexpected flaming-ants epidemic!" If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.</p><p>There are ]s, and ]s, and ]s, and ]s, but those are titles that must be earned! You must have the résumé! Not being able to distinguish between real racists and ]s, or real ]s and ] or ] is an insult – not only to those people, but to the racists themselves, who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from ]s makes us less safe, not more.</p><p> | |||
===Crowd size and television broadcast=== | |||
... ] and toward the ].''] Americans don’t live ''here'' or on cable TV. Where we live, our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done – not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done. Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as ], ], ] or ]. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often something they do not want to do. But they do it. Impossible things, every day, that are only made possible through the little, reasonable compromises we all make.</p><p> | |||
{{wide image|Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear - 2010-10-30 - Panora of Crowd.jpg|800px|A section of the crowd on the National Mall between the ] on the left, and the ] ] on the right. Jon Stewart satirically estimated the crowd size at 10 million people during the event. Colbert later tweeted that it had been 6 billion.<ref name=ny-daily-news>{{cite news|newspaper=]|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/10/31/2010-10-31_jon_stewarts_rally_to_restore_sanity_drew_200000_beating_estimated_attendance_at.html|title=Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' drew 200,000, beating estimated attendance at Glenn Beck's|first=Meena|last=Hartenstein|date=October 31, 2010|access-date=November 2, 2010|location=New York}}</ref>}} | |||
] | |||
An ] analysis commissioned by '']'' and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000 people, plus or minus 10%.<ref name="cbs-size" /> In comparison, their estimate for the Restoring Honor rally made using the same methods was 87,000 people, plus or minus 9,000.<ref name="CBS87">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glenn-beck-restoring-honor-rally-crowd-estimate-explained/|title=Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally Crowd Estimate Explained|first=Brian|last=Montopoli|publisher=CBS News|date=August 31, 2010|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> '']'', '']'' and '']'' 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."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-10-30-rally-stewart-colbert_N.htm|title='Sanity' rally draws tens of thousands|work=USA Today|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 30, 2010|first1=Douglas|last1=Stanglin|first2=Jessica|last2=Durando}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Political-Rally-in-US-Capital-Draws-Thousands-106371909.html|title=Tens of Thousands Rally for Laughs, Activism in Washington|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stewart-colberts-rally-restore-sanity-draws-thousands/story?id=12011738|title=Stewart and Colbert's DC Rally Staged for Comedy, Not Politics|work=ABC News}}</ref> | |||
... We know, instinctively, as a people, that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light, we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness. And sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the ]. Sometimes, it’s just ].<ref>{{Cite web| title=Jon Stewart speech: Transcript | publisher = ]| url=http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-arts/2010/10/jon-stewart-speech-transcript-3955.html| date=October 30, 2010| accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref>}} | |||
{{-}} | |||
According to local news outlet ], "Massive turnout for Saturday's rally quickly overwhelmed the Mall, forcing thousands of people into nearby streets and, eventually, just giving up and leaving."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-neighborhoods/2010/10/jon-stewart-rally-huge-turnout-forces-early-retreat-to-nearby-bars-3947.html|title=Jon Stewart rally: Huge turnout forces early retreat to nearby bars|work=]|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 30, 2010|archive-date=November 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102162824/http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-neighborhoods/2010/10/jon-stewart-rally-huge-turnout-forces-early-retreat-to-nearby-bars-3947.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The PA system was criticized for being inadequate for those farther back to hear, with the crowd chanting "louder" several times.<ref>{{cite web|last=Holmes |first=Linda |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/10/30/130942222/highs-and-lows-from-the-rally-for-sanity-and-or-fear |title=Highs And Lows From The 'Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear' : Monkey See |publisher=NPR |date=October 31, 2010 |access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref> Jon Stewart, speaking from the stage, jokingly said there were over 10 million people there, and Stephen Colbert satirically ] an estimate of 6 billion.<ref name="ny-daily-news" /> | |||
=== Crowd size === | |||
A crowd size estimate commissioned by '']'' and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000 people, plus or minus 10%;<ref name=cbs-size/> in comparison, their estimate for the ] was 87,000, plus or minus 9,000.<ref name = "CBS87"> by ''CBS News''</ref> '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']'' 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.<ref> ''USA Today''</ref><ref> ''Voice of America''</ref><ref> ''ABC News''</ref><ref name="BusinessWeek">{{cite web|author=Lisa Lerer and Traci McMillan |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-31/jon-stewart-says-press-politicians-are-creating-extremism.html |title=Jon Stewart Says Press, Politicians Are Creating Extremism |publisher=Businessweek.com |date=2010-10-31 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> Tony Fox of ] estimated that the crowd was more than 250,000 people.<ref name="BusinessWeek"/> The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced that Metro rail ridership set a Saturday record of 825,437 trips, as compared to about 350,000 on a normal Saturday.<ref name="wmata"></ref> | |||
The ], which maintained its normal Saturday service schedule, announced that ] ridership set a Saturday record of 825,437 trips, as compared to about 350,000 on a normal Saturday,<ref name="wmata">{{cite press release|url=http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4717|title=Metro sets new record for highest Saturday Metrorail ridership|date=October 31, 2010|access-date=November 12, 2011|work=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118193241/http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4717|archive-date=November 18, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and beating out the previous record set in 1991 of 786,358 trips during the Desert Storm ].<ref>{{cite news| title=Jon Stewart 'Rally to Restore Sanity' crowds set new record for DC transit with 825,437 trips| date=November 1, 2010| author=Joanna Malloy and Corky Siemaszko| publisher=nydailynews.com| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/01/2010-11-01_jon_stewart_rally_to_restore_sanity_crowds_set_new_record_for_dc_transit_with_82.html| work=(New York) Daily News| access-date=June 22, 2011| archive-date=November 4, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104062819/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/01/2010-11-01_jon_stewart_rally_to_restore_sanity_crowds_set_new_record_for_dc_transit_with_82.html| url-status=dead}}</ref> The record would last more than 6 six years, until it was broken by the ]. | |||
In addition to those at the rally, thousands more people were unable to get near the event due to the crowd size; large crowds were still heading towards the Mall an hour after the rally began.<ref name="Demotix">{{cite web|author=Evan Golub |url=http://www.demotix.com/news/492031/rally-restore-sanity-andor-fear-held-national-mall |title= Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear held on National Mall |publisher=demotix.com |date=2010-10-30 |accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref> According to local news outlet ], "Massive turnout for Saturday's rally quickly overwhelmed the Mall, forcing thousands of people into nearby streets and eventually, just giving up and leaving."<ref> ]; October 30, 2010</ref> Brian Stelter, of the '']'' ], "Publicly, Parks Service doesn't estimate crowds. Privately, it has told Viacom there are 'well over 200,000' people at the rally, exec says."<ref>; Twitter.com; October 30, 2010</ref><ref name=cbs-size/> | |||
The rally was broadcast live on ] and ]. The Comedy Central live broadcast reportedly drew 2,000,000 total viewers, with an additional 570,000 live video streams on the Internet.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2010/11/01/sanity_rally_seen_by_2_million_tv_viewers/|title='Sanity' rally seen by 2 million TV viewers|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=]|date=November 1, 2010|access-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref> | |||
==Response== | |||
==Response to rally== | |||
{{Expand-section}} | |||
]"]] | |||
The '']'' characterized the Rally as a "send-up" of the recent Washington ] led by ] and the "Reclaim the Dream" commemorative march led by ] on August 28, 2010.<ref name=WSJstaff> September 17, 2010, Wall Street Journal.</ref> ] called the Stewart/Colbert rallies a "not-so-gentle" swipe at Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally.<ref name=Globemail> September 17, 2010, Globe and Mail.</ref> On September 28, ] announced on '']'' that '']'' would provide "as many buses as people to fill them" at a specified meeting place in Manhattan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/sanity-bus-arianna-offers_n_742739.html |title=HuffPost Sanity Bus: Arianna Offers Buses To Jon Stewart's Rally To Restore Sanity (VIDEO) |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2010-09-28 |accessdate=2010-10-15}}</ref> although her plans were later trimmed down and required preregistration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/03/huffpost-sanity-bus-offic_n_745313.html |title=HuffPost Sanity Bus Info and FAQ |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2010-10-22 |accessdate=2010-10-29}}</ref> In a town hall event on September 29, ] mentioned the rally.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ali Weinberg|url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/29/5203437-obama-plugs-jon-stewart-rally |title=Obama plugs Jon Stewart rally|publisher=Firstread.msnbc.msn.com|date=2009-09-29|accessdate=2010-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=(AP)|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hJkLfA_1hLmM-Fa4NVc71wd5N8GQD9IHRQOO0?docId=D9IHRQOO0 |title=The Associated Press: Obama backs Jon Stewart's sanity rally on Oct. 30 |publisher=Google.com |date=2010-09-29|accessdate=2010-10-15}}</ref> | |||
] was prominently featured in a video montage shown at the rally that focused on the anger present in cable news. On November 2, Olbermann announced that he would suspend his "Worst Person in the World" segment on '']'' in the interest of turning down the volume and anger. However, he defended the content of his show by claiming that ] (the network that hosted ''Countdown'' at the time) differs from ] in that "sticking up for the powerless is not the moral equivalent of sticking up for the powerful."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/11/02/2010-11-02_keith_olbermann_drops_worst_person_in_the_world_segment_on_msnbc_after_jon_stewa.html|title=Keith Olbermann drops 'Worst Persons in the World' segment on MSNBC after Jon Stewart rally|first=Aliyah|last=Shahid|work=New York Daily News|date=November 2, 2010|access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref> After tallying an online vote among his viewers, Olbermann announced that the segment would return on the November 17 broadcast as the "Not Really Worst Persons in the World."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/keith-olbermanns-worst-persons-suspension-returning-according-to-his-twitter-it-is_b40332|title=Keith Olbermann's 'Worst Person' Suspension Over? According to his Twitter It is|work=]|first=Molly|last=Stark Dean|date=November 17, 2010|access-date=November 14, 2011|archive-date=September 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918120744/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/keith-olbermanns-worst-persons-suspension-returning-according-to-his-twitter-it-is_b40332|url-status=dead}}</ref> Between the two announcements, Olbermann was suspended by MSNBC on November 5 and re-instated on November 9 over his violation of network policy regarding political donations; the contract between Olbermann and MSNBC would be terminated two months later in January 2011. Olbermann would launch an identically named show with the same segment on ] beginning from June 2011, but was terminated again in March 2012. | |||
On ''],'' ] criticized the rally, saying that while Stewart and Colbert meant well, the message of the rally promoted a false equivalency between the left and the right, noting, "the big mistake of modern media has been this notion of balance for balance's sake. That the Left is just as violent and cruel as the Right ... there's a difference between a mad man and a madman."<ref>{{cite episode|title=November 5, 2010|series=Real Time with Bill Maher|credits=Bill Maher|network=HBO|airdate=November 5, 2010|season=8|number=24}}</ref> | |||
Many news organizations sought media credentials to cover the rally.<ref></ref> Meanwhile, ] 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." <ref>{{cite web|last=Shepard |first=Alicia C. |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2010/10/14/130573793/stewart-colbert |title=Employees And Political Rallies: Facts Behind The Controversy : NPR Ombudsman |publisher=NPR |date=2010-10-15 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.observer.com/2010/media/npr-bans-staffers-attending-stewart-and-colbert-rallies |title=NPR Bans Staffers From Attending Stewart and Colbert Rallies | The New York Observer |publisher=Observer.com |date=2010-10-13 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> ] and several other media outlets followed suit, some barring employees from attending the rally outright, while others such as '']'' offered more latitude, telling newsroom managers to differentiate between "participating" and "observing." <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/news-outlets-follow-nprs-lead-no-staffers-stewart-and-colbert-rallies# |title=News Outlets Follow NPR's Lead: No Staffers at Stewart and Colbert Rallies | The New York Observer |publisher=Observer.com |date=2010-10-14 |accessdate=2010-10-31}}</ref> | |||
On November 11, Stewart appeared on '']'' and clarified the message he intended to convey at the rally: that too many have "bought into the idea that the conflict is left versus right" when the conflict is actually "corruption versus not-corruption" and that "both sides have their ways of shutting down debate."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/11/11/jon-stewart-on-the-rachel-maddow-show-we-have-a-special-place-in-our-hearts-for-fox/|title=Jon Stewart on the Rachel Maddow Show: "We Have a Special Place In Our Hearts For Fox|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=November 11, 2010|access-date=November 11, 2010}}</ref> | |||
Several websites, such as '']'', dedicated a page to collecting "the funniest signs from the rally."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/30/the-funniest-signs-at-the_n_776490.html#s170117|title=The Funniest Signs From The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear|first=Katla|last=McGlynn|work=The Huffington Post|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 2012 Stewart said that at the time that he had invited Yusuf Islam to perform at the rally, he did not know that ]. Upon learning about it, Stewart tried to get clarifications from Islam, but the conversation he had with Islam left Stewart unsatisfied.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/jon-stewart-tells-stephen-colbert-i-nearly-quit-daily-show-1C7546805|date=December 11, 2012|title=Jon Stewart tells Stephen Colbert: I nearly quit 'Daily Show' over 'insane' co-workers|first =Randee|last= Dawn|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
===2020 anniversary=== | |||
On October 30, 2020, Stewart appeared on '']'' to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event. Colbert apologized after Stewart said his rally to restore fear "won" in a "shutout." ] also appeared to sing "]" but was cut off by Stewart.<ref>{{cite web |title= Jon Stewart And Stephen Reunite On The 10th Anniversary Of Their Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHA5BivIHFg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/mHA5BivIHFg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube |access-date=31 October 2020 |date=31 October 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | |||
==Awards and nominations== | |||
The rally was nominated for four ]s:<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-rally-to-restore-sanity-andor-fear-honored-with-four-daytime-emmy-nominations-121638158.html|title=The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" Honored With Four Daytime Emmy Nominations|agency=PR Newswire|date=May 11, 2011|access-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref> | |||
*Outstanding Special Class Special | |||
*Outstanding Special Class Writing | |||
*Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control | |||
*Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Portal|Comedy|Politics}} | |||
*] | |||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | ||
==External |
==External links== | ||
{{Commons category}} | {{Commons category|Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear}} | ||
====Official websites==== | |||
===Official websites=== | |||
* | * | ||
* | * | ||
* | * | ||
* at ] | * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102194418/http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/rally_to_restore_sanity_and_or_fear/index.jhtml |date=November 2, 2010 }} at ] | ||
===Images=== | |||
* |
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101032137/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/51851/rally-to-restore-sanity-pics |date=November 1, 2010 }} – slideshow by '']'' | ||
* |
* – slideshow by '']'' | ||
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===Video=== | |||
* – full event video recording by '']'' (requires ]) | |||
*–short documentary by '']'' (requires ]) | |||
===Other=== | |||
*{{IMDb title|1761006|The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear}} | |||
{{The Colbert Report}} | {{The Colbert Report}} | ||
{{The Daily Show}} | {{The Daily Show}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 12:52, 17 October 2024
October 2010 rally in Washington, D.C.
Poster for the rally | |
Date | October 30, 2010 |
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Website | Official website |
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was a gathering that took place on October 30, 2010, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The rally was led by Jon Stewart, host of the satirical news program The Daily Show, and Stephen Colbert, in-character as a conservative political pundit, as on his program The Colbert Report, both then seen on Comedy Central. About 215,000 people attended the rally, according to aerial photography analysis by AirPhotosLive.com for CBS News.
The rally was a combination of what initially were announced as separate events: Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" and Colbert's counterpart, the "March to Keep Fear Alive". Its stated purpose was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart described as the more vocal and extreme 15–20% of Americans who "control the conversation" of American politics, the argument being that these extremes demonize each other and engage in counterproductive actions, with a return to sanity intended to promote reasoned discussion. Despite news reports' description of the rally as a spoof of Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally and Al Sharpton's Reclaim the Dream rally, and the logo's striking similarity to that of the Restoring Honor rally, Stewart insisted the contrary.
Origins
Response to Restoring Honor rally
On August 28, 2010, the Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck held a "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial. On the same day, Al Sharpton led a countermarch, called Reclaim the Dream, to mark the 47th 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 early as August 12. Stewart has stated that the rally was never intended to be a means to counter Glenn Beck, but was simply another format for his and Colbert's style of humor, saying "We saw and thought, 'What a beautiful outline. What a beautiful structure to fill with what we want to express in live form, festival form.'" Before any public discussion by Stewart, Colbert, or their staffs, members of the social news website Reddit independently began to discuss the possibility of a Colbert-led rally, often referred to as a "Restoring Truthiness Rally". After the rallies were announced, some news articles credited Reddit for the idea.
Announcement
Stewart first hinted at the event on the September 7 episode of The Daily Show by declaring that " have an announcement sometime in the near to not so near future." Colbert, in that night's episode of The Report (which aired immediately following The Daily Show), said that he, too, had an announcement to make. In the following days, Stewart and Colbert used their shows to hype their respective announcements, competing over whose would be more significant. The banter finally culminated with Stewart formally announcing 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 declared that his rally was intended for the majority of Americans, "the 70–80 percenters," who do not hold 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." A series of protest sign designs were proposed on the Daily Show featuring messages such as "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler." Colbert responded to Stewart's proposal by challenging the theme of Stewart's rally and justifying his own "March to Keep Fear Alive." Noting that this was not the time to be reasonable, Colbert declared, "Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom!"
Oprah Winfrey appeared on The Daily Show via video on October 14, 2010, to award the attending audience free airfare to the rally. The plane tickets were hidden under the audience members' seats in the same fashion as she has given away prizes to her own audience members on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the episode of the Colbert Report airing immediately afterward, Stephen Colbert also offered tickets to his rally. Arianna Huffington offered to provide free bus rides to the rally. During the show, Colbert also revealed to Stewart that he did not possess a permit to legally organize the "March to Keep Fear Alive," leading Stewart to propose combining the two events into the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" that would feature a new combined logo.
Response to the announcement
On the night following the announcement, the pledged number of attendees to the event reached 69,000 on Facebook. This number far exceeded the 25,000 that the rally organizers had indicated as the estimated number of attendees on the National Park Service application for a rally permit. The demand for hotels during the period of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear outpaced that of the "Restoring Honor" rally. The rally spawned several grassroots websites and Facebook groups for organizing and discussion, some with more than 10,000 followers. Proposals were made 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. On September 28, Arianna Huffington announced on The Daily Show 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 scaled back and preregistration was imposed.
The Wall Street Journal characterized the Rally as a "send-up" of the 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. During a town hall event on September 29, President Obama cited the forthcoming rally as representing those people who are concerned with more than just the political beliefs of others, in contrast to "provocative" cable news programs.
Many news organizations sought media credentials to cover the rally. Anticipating staff interest in attending for non-professional purposes, NPR barred staffers from attending the rally in a memo that stated: "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 barred 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."
Charity drive
Prior to the announcement of the joint rally, supporters of the movement for a Colbert-led march had begun a drive to raise money for educational charities through DonorsChoose.org, a charitable organization of which Colbert is a member of 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, and by the day of the rally over $500,000 had been contributed. 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
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. The stage was on the east side of the rally with an open back, allowing the Capitol building to provide the backdrop for the performances. 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 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 provided. Because the rally was held the day before the previously scheduled Marine Corps Marathon, the rally planners originally requested to share the portable toilets planned for the marathon runners. The marathon organizers refused, so a second set of portable toilets was ordered.
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 (appearing as Father Guido Sarducci) and Sam Waterston. Other guests included 4troops, Yusuf Islam – formerly known as Cat Stevens, Ozzy Osbourne, The O'Jays, John Legend, Kid Rock, Tony Bennett, Mythbusters hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and R2-D2.
Comedy
Satirical comedy was woven throughout the rally with Colbert expressing, in parody, that fear was superior to Stewart's reasonableness. The theme started with Colbert—costumed like Evel Knievel—emerging from his "fear bunker" in a capsule reminiscent of the 2010 Chilean miners' rescue. Thereafter, Colbert challenged Stewart point by point, usually claiming victory.
One of their battles was waged over three songs about trains. Stewart started with Yusuf Islam singing "Peace Train," which was interrupted continually by Colbert-backed Ozzy Osbourne singing "Crazy Train." The audience held up peace signs for "Peace Train" and horn signs for "Crazy Train." Finally, Stewart and Colbert compromised singing "Love Train" with The O'Jays.
Later, Stewart and Colbert donned matching American flag coats and sang an original song "The Greatest, Strongest Country in the World" with lyrics that reflected common liberal and conservative stereotypes, such as "I love NASCAR halftime shows with tons of TNT. ... My hybrid electric scooter does 100 m-p-g. From gay men who like football ... to straight men who like Glee ..."
In the finale, a giant papier-mâché puppet of Colbert ("Fearzilla") was brought on stage to symbolize his superiority. Peter Pan—played by John Oliver—then appeared and led the crowd in a chant that caused Colbert and his puppet to melt into the stage, thereby handing final victory to Stewart.
Medals
Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" cast in bronze with an image of an owl and the Latin motto Sit vis nobiscum, liberally translated by Stewart as "May the Force be with you," to:
- Armando Galarraga for his calm response to the blown call that cost him a perfect game.
- Mick Foley for his contributions outside of wrestling, including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay.
- Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to President Barack Obama at a town hall.
- Jacob Isom for preventing an evangelist from burning a Qur'an.
Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors and the Latin motto Cave ne cadmium sit, which Colbert translated as "Warning: May contain Cadmium," to:
- Several news media outlets, collectively, for barring employees from attending the rally on their own time.
- A "tight black T-shirt" that Colbert said belonged to CNN's Anderson Cooper, for always appearing during natural disasters reported on by Cooper.
- Mark Zuckerberg for making Facebook increase fear with regard to Internet privacy.
Zuckerberg's award was presented in absentia. The media outlets' award was accepted on their behalf by "someone with more courage—a seven-year-old girl." Also, videotaped messages were shown of Steven Slater, known from the 2010 JetBlue flight attendant incident, and reality TV star Teresa Giudice, both apologizing for public acts of "unreasonableness."
"A Moment of Sincerity" speech
After defeating Colbert's "Fearzilla", Stewart closed the rally with a "moment ... for some sincerity" to explain his intentions for the rally:
This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are, and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times.
He criticized the role the press plays in polarizing political debates, stating that the media—which he described as "the country's 24-hour politico–pundit perpetual panic 'conflict-inator'"—only amplifies problems and no longer makes a distinction between "hav animus" and "be enemies." He warned that demonizing opponents and accepting propaganda makes people "less safe, not more" and that "it is an insult, not only to those people, but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate."
Much of the speech was devoted to the idea that "ost Americans don't live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives." He spoke on the subject of "reasonable compromises" that happen "every day" between persons of different beliefs, citing as an example traffic merging at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel connecting New York City and Jersey City.
Crowd size and television broadcast
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. Jon Stewart satirically estimated the crowd size at 10 million people during the event. Colbert later tweeted that it had been 6 billion.An aerial photography analysis 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 made using the same methods was 87,000 people, plus or minus 9,000. USA Today, Voice of America and ABC 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."
According to local news outlet TBD TV, "Massive turnout for Saturday's rally quickly overwhelmed the Mall, forcing thousands of people into nearby streets and, eventually, just giving up and leaving." The PA system was criticized for being inadequate for those farther back to hear, with the crowd chanting "louder" several times. Jon Stewart, speaking from the stage, jokingly said there were over 10 million people there, and Stephen Colbert satirically tweeted an estimate of 6 billion.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which maintained its normal Saturday service schedule, announced that Metrorail ridership set a Saturday record of 825,437 trips, as compared to about 350,000 on a normal Saturday, and beating out the previous record set in 1991 of 786,358 trips during the Desert Storm National Victory Celebration. The record would last more than 6 six years, until it was broken by the 2017 Women's March.
The rally was broadcast live on Comedy Central and C-SPAN. The Comedy Central live broadcast reportedly drew 2,000,000 total viewers, with an additional 570,000 live video streams on the Internet.
Response to rally
Keith Olbermann was prominently featured in a video montage shown at the rally that focused on the anger present in cable news. On November 2, Olbermann announced that he would suspend his "Worst Person in the World" segment on Countdown with Keith Olbermann in the interest of turning down the volume and anger. However, he defended the content of his show by claiming that MSNBC (the network that hosted Countdown at the time) differs from Fox News in that "sticking up for the powerless is not the moral equivalent of sticking up for the powerful." After tallying an online vote among his viewers, Olbermann announced that the segment would return on the November 17 broadcast as the "Not Really Worst Persons in the World." Between the two announcements, Olbermann was suspended by MSNBC on November 5 and re-instated on November 9 over his violation of network policy regarding political donations; the contract between Olbermann and MSNBC would be terminated two months later in January 2011. Olbermann would launch an identically named show with the same segment on Current TV beginning from June 2011, but was terminated again in March 2012.
On Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher criticized the rally, saying that while Stewart and Colbert meant well, the message of the rally promoted a false equivalency between the left and the right, noting, "the big mistake of modern media has been this notion of balance for balance's sake. That the Left is just as violent and cruel as the Right ... there's a difference between a mad man and a madman."
On November 11, Stewart appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show and clarified the message he intended to convey at the rally: that too many have "bought into the idea that the conflict is left versus right" when the conflict is actually "corruption versus not-corruption" and that "both sides have their ways of shutting down debate."
Several websites, such as The Huffington Post, dedicated a page to collecting "the funniest signs from the rally."
In 2012 Stewart said that at the time that he had invited Yusuf Islam to perform at the rally, he did not know that Yusuf Islam had expressed support for a Fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie. Upon learning about it, Stewart tried to get clarifications from Islam, but the conversation he had with Islam left Stewart unsatisfied.
2020 anniversary
On October 30, 2020, Stewart appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event. Colbert apologized after Stewart said his rally to restore fear "won" in a "shutout." Tony Bennett also appeared to sing "America the Beautiful" but was cut off by Stewart.
Awards and nominations
The rally was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards:
- Outstanding Special Class Special
- Outstanding Special Class Writing
- Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control
- Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing
See also
- List of political rallies on the National Mall
- National Endowment for the Humanities' Civility Tour
- One Nation Working Together rally
- Pluralistic Rationalism
- List of protest marches on Washington, D.C.
References
- Steffen, Jordan; Gold, Matea (October 31, 2010). "Team Sanity numbers more than 200,000, by some estimates". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Interactive. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- "200K turn out to 'Restore Sanity' in Washington". Toronto Sun. October 30, 2010.
- ^ Montopoli, Brian (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000". CBS News.
- ^ "US comics unveil dueling DC political rallies". Agence France-Presse. September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ "Dueling Rallies Spike Hotel Bookings". NBC. September 28, 2010.
- "Jon Stewart: Rallies Not a Response to Glenn Beck". Rolling Stone. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (August 12, 2010). ""August 12, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central.
- Chris Smith (September 12, 2011). "America Is a Joke". New York. New York Media LLC. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- "Jon Stewart: The Most Trusted Name In Fake News". National Public Radio. National Public Radio. October 4, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- "100,000 Strong to Restore Truthiness to the US Capital". Facebook. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Bell, Melissa (September 17, 2010). "Blog Post – 'Rally to Restore Sanity' to meet 'March to Keep Fear Alive;' Reddit users talk about starting the online campaign". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- "Moment of Zen – Jon's Important Announcement – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 09/07/10 – Video Clip | Comedy Central". Thedailyshow.com. September 7, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
- Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (September 16, 2010). ""September 16, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central.
- "Quotes of the Day". Time. September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Announcement". Comedy Central. October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- Delargy, Christine (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity:" A "Non-Political" Rally That Is Actually Politically Charged". CBS News. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- "Oprah Latest Star to Lend Celebrity Endorsement to Stewart's Rally". Fox News. October 15, 2010.
- Eldeib, Duaa (September 22, 2010). "Jon Stewart rally". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- Dvorak, Petula (September 21, 2010). "Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert might actually bring out the real moderates". Washington Post. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
- Gold, Matea (September 22, 2010). "Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' could draw tens of thousands". Los Angeles Times.
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External links
Official websites
- Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
- Rally to Restore Sanity
- March to Keep Fear Alive
- Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Videos Archived November 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at Comedy Central
Images
- Rally to Restore Sanity Archived November 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – slideshow by Life magazine
- The Funniest Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity – slideshow by The Huffington Post
- Satellite view of the crowd
Video
- Stewart/Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear – full event video recording by C-SPAN (requires Adobe Flash Player)
- Rally To Restore Sanity–short documentary by VICE (requires Adobe Flash Player)
Other
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