I will begin this column by stating the obvious: the world is hilarious and should not be taken seriously. More importantly, those in Beltway should be considered the jesters of the world. If we as a society are to survive this world of doom and gloom, we must recognize this fact more often to save our sanity. Two men have decided to take the liberty of illustrating this point by holding mock political rallies. Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show, and Stephen Colbert, host of the Colbert Report, have chosen to give this nation a much needed sanity break before the midterm elections.
Of course, Stewart and Colbert are both mocking Glenn Beck, the newest hit in the Republican Party for his rally on Aug. 28 at the Lincoln Memorial. Beck’s rally occurred on the 47th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” Beck, a man who stated that President Obama “has a deep seated hatred for white people,” used the event to proclaim his own dream of America returning to God, not the government, as its foundation. Most of the people at Beck’s rally were white, Tea Party activists. In contrast, Stewart and Colbert will host their rallies on Oct. 30. The crowd will probably be much smaller and made up of mostly college students and liberal adults.
Stewart is calling his rally: “The Rally to Restore Sanity,” an appropriate title I think. Colbert is calling his rally: “Keep the Fear Alive.” Critics will call these rallies a distraction from the national conversation. I call these rallies genius.
