Officially, it was the the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.

But to the casual observer it seemed a lot like a rally to restore the balance after Fox News host Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally in August.

Many of those who packed into the eastern end of the National Mall, the opposite side to that occupied by Beck's rally, were adamant that the day was not about supporting any particular political grouping.

Tony P, from Maryland, had a banner that identified himself as Republican.

But he said: "This is about moderation, and less about right and left. There is too much hyperbole and not enough sanity."

Dressed in the kind of mock-Victorian outfit favoured by so-called "steampunks", Justin Cameron, from Washington DC, said: "We are big fans of civility."

"People are mean," his companion Caitlin Phillips intoned.

Rahul Kamath, from New York and wearing a jacket and hat adorned with dollar bills, said he was there to support "political moderation".

Where Beck asked people not to bring placards in August, this time there was no such injunction and there was a profusion of them, usually with an effort at humour to try to match that of the hosts.
Some were pithy like the one that said "Ruly Mob", or the one that satirised the controversial Westboro Baptist Church with "God Hates Flags".

Another played on the famous comments of Franklin Roosevelt - at the time of his inauguration - with the line: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself and spiders".

Beck's rally, despite the large numbers of Tea Party members in attendance, tried to avoid being seen as a Republican event. And similar efforts were made to avoid Stewart's rally appearing like a Democrat event.

But there was the occasional banner supporting President Obama. And there were plenty attacking the Tea Party. A mock presidential ticket of "Palin, Voldemort, 2012" left little doubt about its bearer's leanings.
Much derision was reserved for Fox News - a regular target for Stewart's satire on the Daily Show - by those at the rally. One banner said: "We're Moms - Life is Insane Enough Without Fox News." Another claimed: "Fox keeps fear alive."

"It's nice to let foreigners know we aren't all like Glenn Beck," said rally attender Rachel Stock, from Ohio.

Perhaps the most popular political cause in evidence could hardly be said to be either Republican or Democrat.

Supporters of the legalisation of cannabis - looking forward to California's vote on a step towards that in Proposition 19 on Tuesday - were everywhere.

It being the night before Halloween there were scores of costumes.

The main emphasis in the signage was a series of attempts to be humorous, while at the same time emphasising the value of calmness.

t seemed clear that turnout was at the top end of what was expected and thousands at the side of the Mall found themselves struggling to see or hear what was going on on the distant stage.

What was going on was effectively a mixture of a stand-up comedy gig and a one-day rock festival featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Bennett, Sheryl Crow and others.

Stephen Colbert - who does his show as a mock-conservative pundit - arrived on stage in a pod a la Chile miners.

And both bantered in between the musical interludes, Colbert "promoting fear", Stewart "promoting sanity".

Stewart then asked for a chance to say something serious at the end of
the rally.

Rally attender Those at the rally said the message was about moderation

And he reflected the slightly nebulous political tone of the event, when he said: "Even if none of us are really quite sure why we are here, some of you may have seen today as a call for action."

Pleading for understanding, he said: "We live in hard times not end times." The comment prompted a loud cheer.

Much of his message was against the sensationalism and divisiveness of both the media and politicians generally.

"If we amplify everything, we hear nothing," he said.

"We hear every damned day about how fragile our community is - on the brink of catastrophe. We work together to get things done every damn day."

The latter comment prompted the loudest cheer of a day.

Banner slogans appealing for calm

* I'm a little annoyed but I'll get over it
* Somewhat irritated about extreme outrage
* I'm irritated as heck and could probably take some more, but would prefer not
* I'm pretty content actually
* We have nothing to fear but fear itself and spiders
* Cheer up, it's only politics
* I disagree with you but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler

Jon Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity" in Washington has sparked more than 1,160 mini-rallies in 84 countries, morphing into something of a global political happening.

The last time a political rally in America gained such international traction was during the 2003 protests against the Iraq war, says Timothy Patrick McCarthy, director of the Human Rights and Social Movements Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

"I have been surprised by the proliferation of rallies worldwide," says Dr. McCarthy. "But I’m not sure what it means. I don’t know if this is just an outlet for people who share frustrations to come together for some cathartic exercise of political relief. But one of the things I think is interesting is there is a lot of anger and disaffection across the political spectrum."

Both American expatriates and foreign fans of "The Daily Show" and its creator, Mr. Stewart, are organizing meet-ups Saturday – everywhere from London to Tel Aviv to Seoul – to concur with the rally on the Washington Mall.

While many criticize Stewart's gathering as lacking a clear focus, some Americans living abroad say it has inspired them to take part in next week's election. Mr. Stewart organized his rally in reaction to Glenn Beck's Aug. 28 gathering at the Lincoln Memorial.

STORY: Jon Stewart's 'Rally to Restore Sanity' goes global, sparking events all the way to Mt. Everest

"I feel like this year, more than previous years, people here are talking about how can you download a ballot, how can you vote early," says Kathryn Brown, a registered voter in Colorado who lives with her family in Paris. "There is much more of a grassroots effort to disseminate info on how to vote."

Ms. Brown is organizing a mini-rally at The Thistle Pub in Paris. At least 80 American expatriates and French nationals are expected to participate. "The French are addicted to politics. So anything that smells of political intrigue – they just love that stuff," she says.

Brown says the popularity of Stewart, coupled with the vocal protests of the tea party movement, may well have inspired expatriates to cast ballots in this election cycle. She spent $97 on postage fees to mail her absentee ballot from Paris earlier this week.

IN PICTURES: Who will be at the Rally to Restore Sanity?

Meanwhile, in the northeastern Mexican city of Monterrey, Guillermo Zenizo Lindsey signed an Internet petition supporting Stewart's rally, although he's not a regular watcher of "The Daily Show."

"We need a rational discussion" about things such as health care and immigration reform, he says.

In Montreal, Marc Seltzer says he expects "50 or more supporters, curious, comedy-loving rally watchers and participants" at a mini-rally he's organizing Saturday. Mr. Seltzer, the local chair of Democrats Abroad, says he was interviewed on CBC radio today about the event, which he thinks will mostly draw expatriates like himself.

"The confluence of excitement about it may very well get people to vote," he says in a telephone interview.

Stewart is appealing for a "sane" conversation about the state of US politics and policy. But the idea of an entertaining afternoon is also expected to draw people to attend the Washington rally or watch it live on Comedy Central and CNN. It will include musicians The Roots, Jeff Tweedy, and Cheryl Crow and celebrities Don Novello and Sam Waterston.

If Stewart's rally is just "another political performance catalyzed by celebrity icons," however, it is unlikely it can change the super-charged nature of American political debate, says Harvard's McCarthy.

"Perhaps it will have an energizing affect," he says. "A spike in international or expatriate participation, I think, is a great thing. But I’m not super optimistic that will happen."

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Kid_Kyoto wrote:I was there, took 2 hours to get in (I live 30 minutes by train from DC) and the trains were bursting full. Metro really dropped the ball this time.

Once there it was mobbed, couldn't even get close to the jumbotrons much less the stage.

But the crowd was fun, cute signs, good time.

sebster wrote:Looking at the images on line it was a shame to see so many anti-Republican banners, even when they were funny it just wasn't the point of the rally at all.

ShumaGorath wrote:Given stuarts audience and the fact that the rally stood strongly in opposition of fox news and the tea party that bits unavoidable. It is what it is.

Albatross wrote:Couldn't you just oppress them or something? I mean, where's all this 'tyranny of the majority' stuff I keep hearing about? It sounds really good. Try that.

Kilkrazy wrote:Shout louder.

Fight unreasoning fear with facts.

A lot of the Tea Partiers appear to be froot loops because the things they are desperately concerned about simply don't exist outside their heads.

Tyyr wrote:The people you see prominently on the news and in the media represent maybe 15% of the population. The rest of us wish they'd just shut the hell up.

Frazzled wrote:Why was Cat Stevens there? Didn't anyone tell the organizers about him?


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Kilkrazy wrote:Shout louder.

Fight unreasoning fear with facts.

A lot of the Tea Partiers appear to be froot loops because the things they are desperately concerned about simply don't exist outside their heads.

Indeed. Those small government, balanced budget crazies really are nuts aren't they.

Kilkrazy wrote:

Frazzled wrote:Why was Cat Stevens there? Didn't anyone tell the organizers about him?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Kilkrazy wrote:Shout louder.

Fight unreasoning fear with facts.

A lot of the Tea Partiers appear to be froot loops because the things they are desperately concerned about simply don't exist outside their heads.

Indeed. Those small government, balanced budget crazies really are nuts aren't they.

As I pointed out in a different thread, it is US presidents who principally created unbalanced budgets.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
So... yeah!

Kilkrazy wrote:Yes.

The facts show it is.

Kilkrazy wrote:No, the figures show that Republican presidents make unbalanced budgets.