I was one of the people lucky enough to attend Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on Saturday. I had been dying to go ever since the event was announced in mid-September, and I was thrilled when I purchased my ticket to take the bus to D.C.
I was also a little bit worried. After all, this event was hyped to death. Promoters billed it as an event featuring the two most influential comedians of our generation attempting to make a serious political statement (even if a lot of humor was involved). I wasn't sure the event would live up to my expectations.
Luckily, those fears were put to rest shortly after the event started. I was treated to three hours of amazing music and strong political humor with a legitimate point. It couldn't have gone better.
In full disclosure, I am a die-hard fan of Stewart and Colbert. I watch their shows every night like religion and would count them both among my heroes.
Still, you didn't have to be a devotee of their work to enjoy this rally. Over 200,000 people got together to stand up for what they believe in, while great acts like John Legend, The Roots, Ozzy Osbourne and Yusuf (better known as Cat Stevens) performed. It was hard not to have a good time at the National Mall on Saturday.
People criticized the event for not having a true theme, but to me, the rally's goal was clear. It took a stand against the partisan politics of the day, pleading the left and right to stop shouting all the time and go back to having intelligent discourse.
This is a theme I can get behind. I thought it was wonderful that two of America's most influential people would hold a rally just to get liberals and conservatives talking again.
Unfortunately, I can't help but wonder if the theme will largely fall on deaf ears.
The event received harsh criticism from the right and the left. Liberals were angry at Stewart because they believed it was false equivalency to mention 9/11 truthers in the same breath as Tea Party members who compare Obama to Hitler, because Tea Partiers occupy a much larger segment of the right than truthers do of the left.
Conservatives, on the other hand, believed that Stewart and Colbert were simply holding this rally because they were the ruling class now and they miss making fun of Bush.
Suffice it to say a lot of people didn't like being told to "take it down a notch." As a result, one must question if this rally will really return America to the days of thoughtful discourse. Many people just didn't want to hear it.
Still, Stewart and Colbert should be commended for their efforts. They held an entertaining, well-attended rally that made a legitimate case for the return of intelligent political conversation. More importantly, they finally gave the many moderates that make up this nation a chance to have their voices heard.
As a left-leaning centrist, I appreciate being given the chance.
