The sun-drenched US Capitol building was the backdrop of the “Rally to Restore Sanity/and or Fear” sponsored by Comedy Central’s political comedians, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, Saturday October 30th.
At the last minute and through the encouragement of a group of senior activist mostly from Sun City I boarded the 7 pm Amtrak train from Savannah Friday night, October 29th heading for Washington DC.
First observations were surprising, the train was already nearly full and the majority of the passengers going to the rally.
There was also an interesting cross section of ages and reasons for going. But most thought it was time to get behind a voice that spoke for moderation. And that the screaming/shouting rally goers as shown on TV were not representing them. Hummm I thought…. there are more people than I thought that feel the same as I.
The train whistled through its journey with the sway and rock that made it challenging to negotiate to the dining car or restroom. It was quiet, most were able to sleep. I was restless.
We arrived at Union Station about 7:30 am, by 8:30am we were at the rally location on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Street, but to our surprise the first section was already closed. Carrying collapsing chairs and backpacks we found a spot in the second section and watched how the entire mall filled to what seemed to be over 300,000 plus people.
The picture fame stage set up gave an incredible view of the capital building. Even before the program began you couldn’t help but be overwhelmed at the majesty of our capitol.
People watching took up our time, loved the creativity of the signs. They ranged from political to ironic to personal and just plain funny. Slogan sampling ; “ Make Love Not stuff Up”, “ Ruly Mob”, My Wife thinks I’m Walking the Appalachian Trail”, “ Fight Truth Decay”, “ Support the Metric System”, “ Thank God for Mexican Food”, " Legalize Marijuana, quickly before they search my fanny pack"
The crowd was attired in sensible fall clothes but a few came in costume (The Blues Brothers’, Mexican Hombres, Mad Scientists, Bed Bugs, Abe Lincolns, Arabs, Bears, and Chilean Miners).
About 10 am the jumbotrons began with past clips from the combined programs of Stewart and Colbert as they planned the rally. Then about noon “The Roots “opened the show with enough energy that got everyone out of their folding chairs and clapping.
Three hours later we were still standing and either clapping or laughing. Through musical performances and comedy routines the point of the program was to encourage more civility and reasonableness to our nations tone.
Stewart and Colbert used their familiar program format but enhanced it with musical guests such as Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, John Legend, Tony Bennett, Cat Stevens, Ozzie Osborne, the OJ’s Marian Steeples and Jeff Tweedy.
There were “Reasonable Awards” and “Fear Awards”. There were testimonials from folks that behaved badly and wanted to apologize and redeem themselves. (Steve Slater the flight attendant)
Every skit, song and banter perfectly planned and rehearsed to drive home the point…..We need more tolerance, toward those who are different.
As Stewart stated “ 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……... If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.”
Did the Rally to Restore Sanity deliver? If it intended to drive home the point we need to work together to get things done, that we need to bring it down a notch, be more civil, be more reasonable and not so fearful…..it sure did. I just hope the message translates as a bipartisan message and gets to everyone…including our newly elected legislators.
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