Stewart, the host of “The Daily Show,” organized the rally, while fellow comedian Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report” will lead the accompanying march. The event draws inspiration from political commentator Glenn Beck’s Aug. 28 “Restoring Honor” rally, a major gathering of Tea Party supporters who congregated to voice conservative ideas.
Wilson College will provide a bus for students who want to go to the event, which is scheduled to run from noon to 3 p.m. The bus will leave at 7 a.m. and return by 9 p.m. on Saturday.
One of the trip’s organizers, Wilson resident David Lennington GS, said that 110 students had signed up and that he wanted to go to the rally because he had never heard of such an event before.
“I realized that the number of people who were planning on going said something interesting about where we are as a country,” Lennington said.
Lennington said that the event is not just “a parody or satire” of Beck’s rally, which roughly 87,000 people attended, according an estimate by CBS news. Many people will attend because “they perceive this as being the closest thing that they are going to get to a chance to genuinely rally for what they believe in,” he explained.
“We will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a million moderates march ... to send a message to our leaders to say we are here ... to make a strident call for rationality,” Stewart said during the Sept. 16 episode of “The Daily Show” in which he announced the rally.
The event is for the “70–80 percent of Americans” without extreme political views, who are underrepresented in mainstream media coverage, Stewart explained.
Lennington echoed Stewart’s sentiment. “Young people have had few chances to gather and show that they are engaged with what’s going on,” he said. “The mainstream political parties have offered very little in the way of chances to show up and show that you stand for something.”
But other students may attend the event for less serious reasons. Cameron Moore GS, the other trip organizer, said that he is going to the rally because he appreciates Colbert’s sense of humor.
“America, the Greatest Country God ever gave Man, was built on three bedrock principles: Freedom. Liberty. And Fear — that someone might take our Freedom and Liberty,” a statement on the website for Colbert’s rally said.
On the website for his rally, Stewart wrote, “We’re looking for the people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat.”
Moore said he believes that a whole generation is happier to watch “Jon Stewart make fun of the news than the actual news.”
“Although it may end up being mostly tongue-in-cheek, I’m curious if [Stewart] will manage to incorporate anything profound or meaningful into his message,” Moore added.
Several national news networks, including FOX News, CNN and MSNBC, will cover at least part of the event live, according to The New York Times. There also are 40 satellite rallies scheduled at different locations around the country and six internationally.
“It’s telling that when young people do get the chance to rally, this niche is being filled through the medium of satire,” Lennington said.
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