Rally to Restore Sanity draws about 200,000 people to D.C.

The goal of a rally in Washington, D.C., was to encourage sanity among voters. But with a crowd of more than four times the expected number attending the event, sanity was primarily found in the rally’s title.

Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on Saturday afternoon, bringing a variety hour with a twist of seriousness to the capital’s National Mall.

Amid a national atmosphere of political extremism, the comedians reminded voters that they have the power to shape their own opinions.

Hundreds of colorful homemade signs filled the Mall, most with clever and funny messages.

People dressed as Chilean miners, Star Wars characters, Uncle Sam and past presidents stood out in the crowd.

UNC freshmen Hector Brignoni and Chessa DeCain drove up from Chapel Hill in the early morning with two other students to attend the rally.

“We really enjoyed watching how many people could cram into a tree without getting in trouble by the police.” Brignoni said.

Comedy Central filed for a permit to host 60,000 people, but many like Brignoni and DeCain who made the trip to D.C. raised the final turnout to more than 200,000.

At the rally, Stewart encouraged viewers fed up with television pundits to change the channel, and Colbert retaliated with a video montage on research of television remote germs.

“Ideally, this event will help people vote more realistically instead of choosing a straight party ballot,” DeCain said.

Party struggles in Congress and across the nation caused voter turmoil and made the rally popular, she said.

“I think people are ready to bring it back to rationality and sit down and discuss and get things done,” DeCain said.

There were no political candidates who attended the event, but people in the crowd were ready to start a discussion on today’s political climate.

“The crowd was so mixed. Not everyone was just a liberal or anti-Tea Party,” Brignoni said.

“Everyone here enjoyed the show, but understood the importance of the message and took it to heart. I saw Tea Partiers standing with people with signs in support of Obama and no fights broke out at all.”

Colbert and Stewart also debated what matters the most for voters’ attitudes.

Stewart acknowledged that the country has been going through tough times, but he encouraged people to think clearly to get through hardships.

“We live in hard times, not end times,” Stewart said. “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.”

In between performances by Ozzy Osbourne and Kid Rock, Stewart and Colbert handed out awards.

Colbert’s Fear Award went to a tight black shirt on a hanger — Anderson Cooper’s black shirt. The award was a bronze medal with a naked man running with scissors.

“Every time we see this shirt, we know a disaster is coming,” Colbert said, referring to Cooper’s reporting for CNN.

“Say hello to Anderson’s rock hard abs for me,” Colbert said.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.