That fits the role that Stewart and Colbert play the best. Instead, the atmosphere was one of irony and humour of mocking those in power, not seeking to replace them. There was no real talk, for example, of the intricacies of putting healthcare reform into practice, withdrawing from Afghanistan or job creation. He has rarely, if ever, been an advocate for any sort of concrete agenda or liberal politics. The whole mood echoed Stewart's decidedly apolitical behaviour in the runup to the event. Signs waved by the crowd read: "Team Sanity". ![]() Many of those attending wore costumes depicting the Mad Hatter, Wonder Woman or the scary rabbit character from the cult movie Donnie Darko. Indeed, the tone of the rally was satirical rather than political. We are the majority of people who don't actually believe this stuff," Puma said. Obama may not be the best president or the worst, but I am pretty sure he was born here. ![]() That chimed with Schupp and her fellow Floridian, Mike Puma, who works for the same cable company. "The number of people here is a physical representation of what a lot of people think: that everyone needs to take it down a notch," he said, referring to what many see as the overheated nature of American politics and the media outlets that cover them. His driving partner, fellow student Nick Budes, agreed. "I wanted to come here as a sort of plea for a more commonsense politics," said Jake Edmonds, a 23-year-old student who had made a 14-hour car trip from northern Michigan. Stewart has played down any political intent behind the Restoring Sanity rally. Islam began to sing "Peace Train", only to be interrupted by Colbert, who said ,"I am not getting on that train", before bringing on heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne to sing his 1980s hit, "Crazy Train". One of the funniest moments came with the introduction of singer and Muslim convert Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens. Their stage act was in many ways a continuation of their TV routines, heavy on wit and poking fun at sacred cows. "I'd like to have a more traditional beginning to a rally," Stewart said, to which Colbert replied: "Oooh, a book burning!" He and Colbert then kept the crowd laughing and cheering with a double act that played off their themes of mocking and bickering with each other, while simultaneously making their point about a gentler style of politics. "Hello! And are you ready to restore sanity?" Stewart asked the crowd when he appeared. That event, which attracted between 250,000 and 500,000 people, was seen as symbolising the rising power of conservatism. Many observers saw the rally as a response to Fox News pundit Glenn Beck's recent "Restoring Honour" rally, which occupied the same space several months ago. Whether it was a display of the power of American liberalism was much harder to say. As the masses listened to music and comedy routines broadcast from the tiny distant stage over giant screens all the way down the Mall, it was an impressive display of the power of comedy and celebrity. The crowd was enormous – easily a quarter of a million people. ![]() And of course the huge portraits of Stewart and Colbert – done up to echo the iconic Shepard Fairey image of Barack Obama – stared out bewilderingly over the masses. "Restore Sanity" declared large words emblazoned over the stage in the red, white and blue colours always favoured by anyone with a political message in America. Behind the giant speakers and the railings was the gleaming white Capitol building that houses Congress. A huge stage soared over the National Mall on a sunny autumn day. It was the brainchild – or publicity stunt, performance art project or political expression – of the country's two leading satirists, Daily Show host Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, whose on-air persona of a rightwing buffoon lampoons the conservative media.Īt first glance it looked like any other demonstration of the type Washington DC had witnessed by the hundred over the decades.
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