A crowd size estimate commissioned by [[CBS News]] and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000 people, plus or minus 10%;<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021284-503544.html | work=CBS News | title=Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000 | first=Brian | last=Montopoli | date=October 30, 2010}}</ref> in comparison, their estimate for the [[Restoring Honor rally]] was 87,000, plus or minus 9,000.<ref name = "CBS87">[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20015214-503544.html Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally Crowd Estimate Explained] by ''CBS News''</ref> ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[Voice of America]]'', ''[[ABC News]]'', and ''[[NBC 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", 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>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-10-30-rally-stewart-colbert_N.htm 'Sanity' rally draws tens of thousands] ''USA Today''</ref><ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Political-Rally-in-US-Capital-Draws-Thousands-106371909.html Tens of Thousands Rally for Laughs, Activism in Washington] ''Voice of America''</ref><ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stewart-colberts-rally-restore-sanity-draws-thousands/story?id=12011738 Stewart and Colbert's DC Rally Staged for Comedy, Not Politics] ''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 [[MTV Networks Entertainment Group]] estimated that the crowd was more than 250,000 people.<ref name="BusinessWeek"/>
A crowd size estimate commissioned by [[CBS News]] and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000,000 people, plus or minus 10%;<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021284-503544.html | work=CBS News | title=Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000 | first=Brian | last=Montopoli | date=October 30, 2010}}</ref> in comparison, their estimate for the [[Restoring Honor rally]] was 87,000, plus or minus 9,000.<ref name = "CBS87">[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20015214-503544.html Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally Crowd Estimate Explained] by ''CBS News''</ref> ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[Voice of America]]'', ''[[ABC News]]'', and ''[[NBC 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", 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>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-10-30-rally-stewart-colbert_N.htm 'Sanity' rally draws tens of thousands] ''USA Today''</ref><ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Political-Rally-in-US-Capital-Draws-Thousands-106371909.html Tens of Thousands Rally for Laughs, Activism in Washington] ''Voice of America''</ref><ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stewart-colberts-rally-restore-sanity-draws-thousands/story?id=12011738 Stewart and Colbert's DC Rally Staged for Comedy, Not Politics] ''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 [[MTV Networks Entertainment Group]] estimated that the crowd was more than 250,000 people.<ref name="BusinessWeek"/>
According to local news outlet TBD, "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>[http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-neighborhoods/2010/10/jon-stewart-rally-huge-turnout-forces-early-retreat-to-nearby-bars-3947.html Jon Stewart rally: Huge turnout forces early retreat to nearby bars] TBD; October 30, 2010</ref> Brian Stelter, of the [[New York Times]] [[Twitter|tweeted]], "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>[http://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/29206741606 Brian Stelter — Twitter Feed]; Twitter.com; October 30, 2010</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 />
According to local news outlet TBD, "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>[http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-neighborhoods/2010/10/jon-stewart-rally-huge-turnout-forces-early-retreat-to-nearby-bars-3947.html Jon Stewart rally: Huge turnout forces early retreat to nearby bars] TBD; October 30, 2010</ref> Brian Stelter, of the [[New York Times]] [[Twitter|tweeted]], "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>[http://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/29206741606 Brian Stelter — Twitter Feed]; Twitter.com; October 30, 2010</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 />
Billed as "a rally for the people who've been too busy to go to rallies", the rally's stated purpose was to provide a venue for attendees to be heard above what Stewart describes as the more vocal and extreme 15–20% of Americans who "control the conversation" of United States politics.[3] News reports cast the rally as a satirical response to Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally and Al Sharpton's Reclaim the Dream rally.[4]
Origins
Response to Restoring Honor rally
On August 28, 2010, the Fox News Network's Glenn Beck held a Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial. On the same day, Al Sharpton led a counter march Reclaim the Dream, to mark the forty-seventh anniversary of the historic Great March on Washington.[4] 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 far back as August 12, 2010.[5][6] Prior to any public discussion from either Stewart or Colbert's parties, Reddit members independently began to discuss the possibility of a Colbert-led rally, often referred to as a "Restoring Truthiness Rally";[7] some news articles following the initial announcement of the dual rallies credited Reddit for the idea.[8] The rally was coordinated by two former Clinton administration aides and organizers, Craig Minassian and Chris Wayne.[9]
Stewart formally announced the "Rally to Restore Sanity" on the September 16, 2010 episode of The Daily Show;[10] 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!"
On October 14, 2010, Oprah Winfrey appeared on The Daily Show via video and gave the attending audience all free airline tickets to the rally.[11] 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 The Oprah Winfrey Show. Immediately afterward, Stephen Colbert did the same on his own show, except he gave his audience free Chinatown bus 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.
Response to the announcement
In the night following the announcement, the pledged number of attendees to the event reached 69,000 on Facebook.[3][12] Although organizers said in their application for a permit from the National Park Service that they hoped for an attendance at the combined event of about 25,000 people,[13] as of October 13, 2010, the Facebook page for restoring sanity had 203,128[14] people indicating they planned to attend. According to WashingtonDCHotels.com,[4] the demand for hotels outpaced that of the "Restoring Honor" rally. The planned events spawned several grassroots websites and Facebook 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 Seattle, Chicago, Austin,[15] and Los Angeles[16] to take place on the same day as the demonstration in Washington, D.C.
Charity drive
Supporters of the movement began a drive to raise money for educational charities through DonorsChoose.org, a charitable organization 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.[8] 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.[17]
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 distributed. However, because the rally was held the day before the previously-scheduled Marine Corps Marathon, the rally planners originally requested that they use the portable toilets positioned for the marathon runners. The marathon organizers refused and a duplicate set of portable toilets were positioned on the Mall, with the marathon's toilets blocked off.[19]
Comedy was woven throughout the rally with Colbert expressing that fear was superior to Stewart's reasonableness. The theme started with Colbert emerging from his "fear bunker" as a Chilean miner.[26] Thereafter, Colbert challenged Stewart point by point, usually claiming victory.
One of their battles centered around 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 on The O'Jays signing "Love Train."[22]
In the finale, a giant papier-mâché fear-puppet of Colbert 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.[27]
Medals
Stewart gave out "Medals of Reasonableness" (which were cast with an image of an owl) to Armando Galarraga for his calm response to the blown call that cost him a perfect game, to Mick Foley for his contributions outside of wrestling, including his defense of a child mocked for being seen as gay, to Velma Hart for her reasoned critical questions delivered to PresidentBarack Obama at a town hall, and to Jacob Isom for preventing an evangelist from burning a Qur'an.[28] Colbert awarded "Medals of Fear" (which were cast with an image of a naked man running with scissors) to Mark Zuckerberg for driving fear for internet privacy,[29] to Anderson Cooper's black t-shirt for always appearing during a natural disaster,[30] and to the news media outlets that barred employees from attending the rally.[28] Also, videotaped messages were shown featuring Steven Slater and Teresa Giudice apologizing for their public acts of unreasonableness.[28]
Closing speech
At the conclusion of the rally, Stewart gave a serious 12-minute speech to sum up his message. Some of its passages were:[31]
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. And we can have animus, and not be enemies. But unfortunately, one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s 24-hour political-pundit, 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.
There are terrorists, and racists, and Stalinists, and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned! You must have the resume! Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Party-ers, or real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez 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 Muslims makes us less safe, not more.
... But 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 Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. 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.
...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 Promised Land. Sometimes, it’s just New Jersey.
A crowd size estimate commissioned by CBS News and carried out by AirPhotosLive.com estimated the crowd at 215,000,000 people, plus or minus 10%;[32] in comparison, their estimate for the Restoring Honor rally was 87,000, plus or minus 9,000.[33]USA Today, Voice of America, ABC News, and NBC 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", 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.[34][35][36][37] Tony Fox of MTV Networks Entertainment Group estimated that the crowd was more than 250,000 people.[37]
According to local news outlet TBD, "Massive turnout for Saturday's rally quickly overwhelmed the Mall, forcing thousands of people into nearby streets and eventually, just giving up and leaving."[38] Brian Stelter, of the New York Timestweeted, "Publicly, Parks Service doesn't estimate crowds. Privately, it has told Viacom there are 'well over 200,000' people at the rally, exec says."[39][32]
Many news organizations sought media credentials to cover the rally.[46] Meanwhile, NPR 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." [47][48]NBC and several other media outlets followed suit, some barring 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." [49]
^Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (August 12, 2010). ""August 12, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |city=, |serieslink=, |ended=, |transcripturl=, and |seriesno= (help)
^Executive Producers: Rory Albanese, Josh Lieb, Jon Stewart (September 16, 2010). ""September 16, 2010"". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |city=, |serieslink=, |ended=, |transcripturl=, and |seriesno= (help)
