On the Sept. 16 episode of "The Daily Show," Stewart initially announced his plans to hold a "Rally to Restore Sanity" in response to conservative pundit Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally that occurred on the Mall in August. Later that evening on "The Colbert Report," Colbert told audiences about his counter-rally, the "March to Keep Fear Alive." The two comedians agreed to merge their rallies after event-licensing issues supposedly almost derailed Colbert's rally.
The basis for the "Rally to Restore Sanity," from Stewart's perspective, was to provide a rally "for people who are usually too busy to go to rallies," he said when he announced the rally. In many ways, the event became a kind of attempt to channel much of the public's frustration into more palatable humor and ridicule.
Stewart's correspondents were sent to Washington and covered their journey in a faux-documentary style. "Daily Show" correspondent Jason Jones interviewed fellow travelers in his usual manner attempting to goad them into admitting to being socialists. When they didn't cooperate with him, he reported, "First, we learned that reasonable people make lousy television." With this solidly non-factual reporting style, they set off to the rally, to gather on the Mall in hopes of spreading Stewart's message "Take it down a notch for America."
Colbert entered the rally with a slightly different angle. Announcing his counter-rally, Colbert said, "I will not take it down shame on you, Jon Stewart." Colbert then played clips and sound bites of various well-known newscasters discussing how scared the American people are, adding, "America cannot afford a Rally to Restore Sanity in the middle of a recession. Did you even consider how many panic-related jobs that might cost those of us in the fear-industrial complex?"
During the weeks surrounding the rally, the mainstream news media has seemed endlessly fascinated by the antics of these two "fake" newscasters. CNN speculated that Stewart and Colbert were holding this rally to harness the public's frustration. Colbert announced prior to the rally that this was not the case: "Jon wants to harness the public's frustration, I want to bombard the public's frustration with gamma rays until it turns on its master with a lust for blood."
Much of the pre-rally buzz centered on the question of whether the rally would be primarily political or entertaining a mystery that remained mostly unsolved up until Saturday's event, as neither Stewart nor Colbert shared rally schedules with prospective attendees. Viewers wanted to know if the rally was jokes aside (if that's even possible) "for real." Stewart explained, "Yes, this rally is fo realzz, with two z's."
Viewing the rally the majority of the live feed is available on the network's website for those who missed Comedy Central's telecast it was impossible to deny its political nature. There is no question that the American public is frustrated, and the two comedians are shrewder than they might appear to be. They understand the public, and people's feelings of frustration and powerlessness, and they combat it by provoking laughter, thoughtfulness and action in the form of ambiguously titled rallies.
Furthermore, Stewart and Colbert's mock rally managed to eclipse Beck's legitimate rally: CBS News estimated that the Stewart/Colbert rally attracted a crowd of 215,000, while Beck's rally drew only 87,000 (despite Beck's hyperbolic claims to the contrary). The rally's greater relative success illustrates why Colbert and Stewart are such popular figures. The crux of the matter is comedy when life seems bleak, people need to be able to laugh at their situation, or else they will cry about it. Stewart and Colbert are astute enough to realize this fact and make their livings from it.
This is why the people who gathered for the rally were often dressed in elaborate costume, posing as everything from wizards to Uncle Sam. Stewart and Colbert's followers echo the sentiments of the two men: part ridiculous and comical, part truly frustrated and political.
Even so, the actual content of the rally (or performance, perhaps) shied away from concrete politics. Musicians including Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock performed, and Stewart elaborated on his motto, speaking earnestly about "the extensive effort it takes to hate." Essentially, this rally was an effort to combat the increasingly polarized nature of national politics and provide comedy, music and a surprise visit from the Mythbusters on the way.
Even though Stewart and Colbert are primarily comedians, they have gained such a following that they wield a real influence in the political world. The "Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear" may be the most unlikely title for a peace rally led by two of the most unlikely figures but it goes to show that when times are changing and American culture is heading in a new and unfamiliar direction, fear and uncertainty breed comedy.