Rally to Restore Sanity Wrap-Up

To say that fans of Jon Stewart and the Rev. Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. had big expectations... would be over-simplifying the varied yearnings of an equally diverse crowd. And that, is precisely the point. On October 30th, an estimated 200,000 people came to the National Mall, in Washington D.C. to show their support for rational political discourse. The result was the largest gathering of kind reasonable people since the last U2 concert.

Example 1: Throughout the four hours that we stood in place, at least a dozen different people excused and pardon me-ed there way through the sardine-packed masses. There was never so much as bad word or annoyed glare. Everyone needs to go to the bathroom, or wants to find the rest of his/her group. So we stood as far aside as physically possible (a few inches) and wished them luck on their quest.

Example 2: Hundreds of thousands of people converging on D.C. on a Saturday morning meant that thousands of hungry and groggy customers swarmed each café within walking distance of the Smithsonian. In desperate need of coffee and a bagel breakfastwich, we got in line at a Au Bon Pain café. Now, when I say got in line, I should clarify that the line started around the corner outside the building and doubled back through the length of the store once you got inside. After 45 minutes, we were familiar with the next couple groups both before and after us in line. We discussed where we're here from, when we got in town, and why. The cool part was that the general consensus held with the idea of people planning the event; this truly was a rally for people that don't go to rallies.

As to the content of the rally, I was more than satisfied. The entertainment was world-class, the humor was laugh out loud funny, and the message was spot-on. Jon's speech was an apt microcosm of the spirit of the day. It was a sincere message made more palatable by well timed humor.