Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity Set to Descend on Washington Tomorrow

Nate Freeman — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:17:33 -0400

Two months after Glenn Beck corralled thousands of people to the National Mall for his Restoring Honor rally, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are set to unleash their response to the gathered masses tomorrow. Pegged as the Rally to Restore Sanity, the event pushes Stewart out of the realm of satire, even if he insists it's an extension of the type of programming on The Daily Show. Regardless, liberal groups will be on hand to recruit volunteers who may help curb the wave of Republicans expected to enter office after the Nov. 2 elections, and NPR has banned staffers from attending for fear that it would be a display of partisanship.

Media people actually covering the event will be there in scores: David Carr reported yesterday that there were over 1000 applications for press passes, with 400 awarded.

Details about the rally have been scarce, as Stewart and his team have stayed tight-lipped about the plans. A leaked document from the National Parks Service gives a fairly limited rundown: The Roots, Sheryl Crow, and Jeff Tweedy are all set to perform, Sam Waterson will give a reading for some reason, and there will be a segment called the "Sanity and Fear Awards." The New York Times tells us that what does end up happening will be aired live on Comedy Central, with a tape delay to catch vulgarities.

In case you don't have a way to get down to D.C., you can always hop on one of the buses that Arianna Huffington chartered. They even have snacks!

nfreeman [at] observer.com | @nfreeman1234

Observer » Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity Set to Descend on Washington Tomorrow

Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity Set to Descend on Washington Tomorrow