For liberal groups, "Daily Show" rally on Mall, not just for laughs

[Elmore Furth]

Source: Washington Post

By Sandhya Somashekhar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 23, 2010; 8:04 PM

Jon Stewart has tried to paint the "million moderate march" he will hold on the Mall this Saturday as a live-action version of his comedy show, a satirical take on political demonstrations.


But some liberal groups are doing their best to adopt the rally as their own. Democratic clubs from colleges across the country are sending buses to the event, offering a seat in exchange for a few hours of volunteer time. President Obama, who seemed to talk up the rally at an event last month, is expected to appear on Stewart's "The Daily Show" just a few days before.

Still, groups ranging from PETA to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws are preparing props and making snarky signs in preparation for the event, and more than 200,000 people have said on Facebook that they will attend.

"This is basically the anti-tea party rally. It's saying, These people are absolutely crazy and we can't have them in the government," said Emma Ellman-Golan, president of the Democratic club at the University of Pennsylvania. The group is offering bus rides from Philadelphia to the rally for $15 apiece, but is providing $5 discounts to anyone who signs up to volunteer for Democratic campaigns in the state on Sunday.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/23/AR2010102303772.html

---

Here, here!

[Skittles]

1. it's all good

even Jon Stewart knows it's not all just for laughs

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Don't diminish the power of humor

Satire is one of our most powerful weapons - a commodity that is in pitifully short supply on their side. Besides, humor is much more effective when it's directed toward those in power. Repugs can only make fun of the powerless, which reveals them as mean-spirited assholes. Conservative 'humor' just doesn't work!

[BobTheSubgenius]

11. Exactly.

Consider the effect of Jonathon Swift's satirical take on the Irish "problem."

[zanana1]

13. Ding! Ding! Ding!

--We have a winnah!

[immoderate]

38. MAD Magazine changed this country.

Irreverence has to be learned.

--imm

[Pacifist Patriot]

44. +1000

[JNelson6563]

51. Amen!

I agree 100%

[JNelson6563]

52. Amen!

I agree 100%

[deacon]

3. OUR chance to say 'NO!" to the the party of "NO!" K + R n/t

:grr:

[felix_numinous]

4. Count on the insane M$M to report in an inaccurate way,

RepuliCorp propaganda is on the warpath.

Luckily we have enough free news sources, so the truth will get out!!

Voting for sanity!!

:kick:

[glowing]

33. Its being aired live on Comedy Central.. Hard to spin what all can see from

start to end.. AND while people are on the ground or blogging.. or attacking CNN and FOX and MSNBC for being asshats and not reporting.... I've seen a few of them get their hairs in a bristle when tweeters call them out on the bias.

[Grassy Knoll]

5. Jon Stewart needs to bring in......

about 50 crates of geese and let them go,and do his
one leg dance for the becker heads.

[Mz Pip]

7. Someone on DU

suggested a sign: GOD PROMISED NO GEESE

I thought that was kind of cool.

I'm going. Don't know what my sign will be. It won't have Hitler in it, though.

[Grassy Knoll]

8. I hope you post picks. n/t

[alfredo]

47. Jesus was a Jew, why aren't you?

[sulphurdunn]

55. My mother wasn't.

Come to think of it. Neither was Pop. Is being Jewish a blood thing, or can anybody join? O8)

[alfredo]

59. Anybody can be a Christian, Buddhist, or Jew. It is a

lifestyle choice.

[sulphurdunn]

62. Excellent!

[alfredo]

63. My dad was Episcopal, Mom Hard Shell Baptist. I am an

Atheist with a strong Anarchist streak. I tend to favor Buddhist philosophy which has no conflict with Atheist, but my Anarchist leanings keep me from wanting to be part of any Buddhist community. I have no Baptist Genes, and no Episcopal gene. I was free to choose because there was no genetic imperative to be anything but me.

[sulphurdunn]

64. I am an agnostic.

It is the simplest and to me the most logical position for dealing with things empirically unknown or unknowable.

[alfredo]

65. To me it is the herd instinct. For the herd/tribe to work

it needs a leader. That is hardwired in us. Just because one is the leader, he still has that follow the leader instinct inside.

The leader told us to do this.

Who gives him the right the right to tell us what to do?

He says it is the "old man of the mountain."

Let's go see the old man.

It is forbidden.

Why?

He only speaks to the leader.

Dear leader, what does the old man look like?

I don't know.

Why?

He is invisible.

[sulphurdunn]

66. This is true,

but it neither confirms nor falsifies anything regarding the subject of the fraud perpetrated by the priests.

[alfredo]

69. They are opportunist like everyone else.

[sulphurdunn]

71. Of course they are,

but that doesn't rebut my statement. If you remove the human variable from the divine argument equations you are left with only one possible conclusion, which is agnosticism i.e there is no possible solution using such equations or any such we can devise.

[alfredo]

72. There's some of us that don't care if there is or isn't

a supreme being.

[sulphurdunn]

73. A willingness to admit

you don't care and a willingness to admit you don't know are pretty close to being the same thing.

[alfredo]

74. It's just not important to me. I never think about it.

I'm at peace with my mortality.

[sulphurdunn]

75. It's wise

to be at peace with the inevitable.

[alfredo]

76. No gold chains or trophy wives for me.

[alfredo]

77. Lucy always pulls the football away.

[iamthebandfanman]

56. if i were going to the event

id probably have a sign about Bears=Hitler...

as colbert always says, they are destroying america

[Mz Pip]

60. Bears...

I don't know if it was on DU or on the rally site but there was a suggestions for a sign:

MAMA HUMAN

I kind of like that and thought I might do something like:

MAMA HUMAN
I don't have to roar
to make a point.

[Mz Pip]

61. Bears...

I don't know if it was on DU or on the rally site but there was a suggestions for a sign:

MAMA HUMAN

I kind of like that and thought I might do something like:

MAMA HUMAN
I don't have to roar
to make a point.

[Moonbat2]

21. not with PETA there

[Moonbat2]

22. not with PETA there

[Beams1969]

26. NO! He should release turkeys from a helicoptor...

"As God as my witness, I thought Glenn Beck could fly".

[66 dmhlt]

34. WKRP's "Great Turkey Drop" in 30 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST01bZJPuE0

[lark]

68. Gotta love DU

Thanks for bringin up that old funny funny memory!

[iamjoy]

42. ROFL

:spray:

[Cram]

48. Thanks for the Laugh!

I haven't laughed so hard since I saw that on WKRP!
Thanks for the Laugh!
~ the horror, the horror ~

[mdmc]

57. welcome to du..

[ladywnch]

6. Let MSM broadcast what they want, Comedy Central is broadcasting the whole thing

live and streaming it on the net. There WILL be accurate coverage on the air. MSM and Faux can spin all they want....people will be able to see for themselves.

[Iliyah]

9. I truly wanted to go

but can't afford it. Ya see I don't have the Koch Brothers backing me up. I guess I'm not stupid enough. That said I'm glad that this event's extension will also be held in Los Angeles. I'm going to attend with my children.

[sce56]

16. If I don't have to work I'll be there too! Possible OT day if so I have to work..:(

[Moonbat2]

23. you can go

someone or group will pay your way

[Cram]

49. I want to go, also can not afford.

Wanted to go, but also can't afford.  
Wish they had a call in line for those who can't attend 
so the MSM can see how many people are backing this event.

The strength of America is our diversity and common sense of
the common man/woman.

[xxqqqzme]

50. I was thrilled to see a companion

rally was scheduled in LA. A bunch of us in OC are going to take the train in to LA and enjoy!

[glitch]

53. It'll be a great chance to demonstrate to people who don't yet believe the media is biased right

by comparing what they see on comedy central vs. how it's reported. Like being there, once you see how reality is distorted, you never trust them again.

[The Wizard]

10. Teabaggers

don't understand satire and irony. They have no idea when they're the targets. Look at Christine O'Donnell in the debate. She thought the audience was laughing at her opponent.
The day will soon be here when the corporate media is as much of a joke as Pravda was in the Soviet Union. One of our goals is to expose propaganda as a cruel trick on the weak minded.

[Stellar]

25. From your mouth to God's ear.

The day will soon be here when the corporate media is as much of a joke as Pravda was in the Soviet Union.

:thumbsup:

[Crunchy Frog]

40. Americans are much more credulous than Russians ever were.

Americans LIKE being lied to.

[applegrove]

12. Thanks for posting.

[bjobotts]

14. Please Stewart, don't try to make some equivalency between the nuts on the right and liberals.Just t

the truth please. The dems have legitimate claims but the right is just looney tunes with misinformation and insulting insinuations.

[No Elephants]

29. The counterpart of nuts on the right are nuts on the left. Liberals are counterparts of sane,

honest conservatives (very few of whom are still alive, if indeed any ever existed).

[DireStrike]

46. It's a false equivalency to even talk about the two groups in the same breath

The nuts on the right have taken over an entire political party, and even afterwards it's STILL not insane enough for them so they're making a new one. They have a major say in government.

The nuts on the left... what, make some posts on the internet? They are relatively tiny, and have zero power or recognition.

[Sylvarose]

15. Still Room on DC RallyBus - Indy needs 7 more riders

All,

There's still room on DC RallyBuses. Indy needs 7 more riders to get two buses. C'mon fellow Hoosiers!

http://www.dcrallybus.com/RallyToRestoreSanity/Index/Indianapolis

I'm looking forward to this!

SR

[Frank Booth]

17. It's kinda lame that Stewart took Colbert's rally

This originally started as a rally to be hosted by Colbert.

I understand Stewart is Colbert's boss, but just because he's the boss doesn't mean he can't be gracious.

[wial]

18. The idea started independently on Reddit

but I read Stewart had the idea even before that. It was simply in the cards.

[No Elephants]

32. "Independently" of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report? Somehow, I doubt that.

[Frank Booth]

39. Right. I know it started independently,

but it's like someone to decided to throw a party for Stephen Colbert, and John Stewart (or the executives at Comedy Central or whoever) jumped in and said let's make the party for John Stewart instead, and maybe Stephen Colbert will get to talk a little too.

I think the original idea was that it would be a humongous farce rally, which would be really funny. Instead, it has changed into a giant advertisement for Comedy Central's late night line-up.

[No Elephants]

30. You're kidding, right?

[RaleighNCDUer]

45. Naw, it was meant from the beginning to be a two-part Comedy Central

gig, not a Colbert gig and a Stewart gig.

Stewart is a pre-requisite to Colbert; Colbert is a foil to Stewart.

[Dyler Turden]

19. I think I'm going.

It's nearly 1K miles but I just got a new Nikon and I've got a new zoom on the way. Gotta double check the finances and my dog-sitters.

[demi moore]

20. the rally has unified.

its the jon and colbert rally.

[Dyler Turden]

24. Darn it I went ahead and booked an airline ticket.

I wanted to ride my bike but my dog's needed me more than the time it would have taken to ride. I promise to post pictures!

[druidity33]

27. Good Luck! K&R, nt.

[No Elephants]

31. Yes, just as Stewart and Colbert planned from Day One.

[madrchsod]

28. sandhya is clueless...but who the fuck cares what it thinks.

my son,daughter in law,wife ,and i are taking a bus from chicago. we intend to have a great time!

[greiner3]

35. Not a big thing;

But I can't get anyone to watch my cats. I don't want to leave them alone in the house for a couple of days. I'll be there virtually and holding a big snarky sign.

[Patiod]

36. My township is sponsoring buses!

I couldn't believe when I saw a flyer at the township building yesterday. $35/residents, $40 for non-residents. My dad will have just had surgery on Friday, and I need to be home with him, or I'd be going.

Our township is mixed D/R, but the large Jewish population LOVES Jon Stewart. For that, for the availability of kosher Coke in our local supermarket every Spring (with sugar - without HFCS) I salute them!

[bikebloke]

37. I will try to document the rally with photos and videos.

So everyone make sure you hair's combed. :)

[Anser]

41. K&R

My wife and I will be there. It was really nice of Jon to throw us this big anniversary bash ;)

[Faygo Kid]

43. We'll be there. Weather forecast is great, too.

60 and sunny. Jon Stewart weather.

[veganlush]

54. awesome..n/t

[HereinDC1]

58. I live in downtown DC, and a friend of a friend in San Fran

asked if she could stay with me. She's taking the red eye arriving Friday morning and leaving noon on Sunday.

Damn Right.

GLAD to HOST!

We can't let the Tabaggers take over American!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gin]

67. checked to see if there are any buses from Va Beach/Norfolk..and there are

check out the site for the buses...they have a list of all the cities and # of buses going....pretty impressive

http://www.dcrallybus.com/RallyToRestoreSanity/ReservationCounts

[Bill219]

70. My wife and I are going

We are driving up from Cornelius NC on Friday morning.

Gonna take our Prius on a road trip