See here for Washington Post coverage of the Stewart/Colbert “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.”
The very premise of this joint rally strikes me as flat-out embarrassing. Where is that 60’s passion college kids used to be known for? Vietnam protesters were embarrassing for other reasons (like their lack of respect for our soldiers), but they couldn’t be accused of lacking heart. The message today, if there even is one, seems to be something like: “Don’t worry man, it’s all a big joke.” But health care and the economy and our two wars are very much not big jokes. Maybe these people are OK with letting the grown-ups continue to make the Important Decisions; they’re certainly not earning their opinions any more credibility.
If you were a congressman, would you now be more or less concerned about capturing that “youth vote”?
Good point, John.
Only thing I might add though is that the parade undoubtedly caters towards anti-tea-partiers and liberals. True, they’re mocking extremism on both sides, but Stewart and Colbert know their audience and its political nature. Disguising a political movement such as this as ‘apolitical’ is a farce indeed. Even if unintentionally on the part of the two comedians.
more on this in this week’s editorial, btw