Jon Stewart’s Rally To Restore Sanity: Is the timing off?

On Saturday, October 30, thousands will likely descend on Washington D.C. to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity, and its ironic counter-demo, March To Keep Fear Alive, presented by Comedy Central stars Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Stewart’s event comes just two months after Glenn Beck’s Rally to Restore Honor. It’s geared, according to its website, to those “who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive and terrible for your throat."

Among those attending is Diane Perenich from Tarpon Springs, who wants to make a stand “against political extremists who are manipulating the American public with lies.”

But there are other Democrats, like party activist Darden Rice, who worry that the event will distract attention from a more important task: campaigning for local candidates.

This article appears in Oct 14-20, 2010.