Many Americans are frustrated with our political system, and given our political reality how could they not be? I believe an even larger number of Americans don’t know enough about this system, or our own history for that matter, to be frustrated with it. They might be passionate about certain topics, such as immigration or gay issues, but for many their passions cloud their judgment and they are easily riled up by the ratings-seeking press and its frequent lack of facts or context.
I also see another category of Americans: those who think that their vote doesn’t matter at all. They don’t bother to vote, or if they do vote they select candidates based on family tradition, nationality, race, or a sound bite. (“I can see Russia from my house!”) This apathy is one of the reasons America is in such a mess today. The combination of shrinking attention spans and declining morals easily propogated by instant access to information and our blatantly biased media and news outlets has been gasoline to the flames of our political destruction.
In an effort to energize his fan base, Glenn Beck held a rally in Washington D.C. called “Restoring Honor.” It was an amazing event for a variety of reasons. The message delivered was positive and uplifting, attendance was massive, and the message of self-assessment, faith and action was successfully and gracefully delivered.
Of course, the left mocked and belittled the event. One response was the creation of the Rally To Restore Sanity, conceived by John Stewart and Stephen Colbert (or perhaps someone from their team of writers). It is scheduled for the end of this month, and given their popularity it could very well draw a six-figure crowd. At the very least it should certainly outdraw the Ed Schultz trainwreck and disgusting display of disrespect known as “One Nation.”
When I first heard about the Stewart/Cobert event I was disgusted by what I perceived as a childish and attention grabbing stunt. I wanted it to fail just like Schultz’s pathetic gathering. “Restoring Sanity” was obviously created to mock Glenn Beck and is based, I believe, on a deep disdain for the Tea Party movement in general. I imagine a room full of comedy writers trashing conservatives over lunch and then running with the idea of their own event. They are tired of Beck’s drama and perceived doomsday schtick. They hate Beck, and they love to mock. After all, Stewart and Colbert are comedians, their desire for the spotlight is a major component of their very existence, just like musicians and actors. They are liberal, as most creative types are, and they both have television shows that pay them extremely well to generate ratings, which they have done with great success.
Perhaps you are thinking “Beck is a self-proclaimed clown, he’s an entertainer too! He doesn’t believe all of the stuff he says, he’s just saying it for ratings. Look how much money he made last year!”
With this I vehemently disagree. While Beck has been in radio since he was a teen, his rise to fame over the past decade has been in large part thanks to his passion of history, his love for America, and his puppy-like dedication to bringing his audience new information about our great country. He and his team have become quite proficient at finding information and clearly visualizing fact-based connections that help explain how we got to where we are today. Beck’s goal is to share information, to educate and empower listeners, and most important, he wants to help make America great again. He is not in this for personal gain. He does not seek “shock jock” content for ratings. I’ve met him several times, going back way before he was on television. The man is as down to earth and sincere as they come, but because he is a conservative (and a Mormon) most people on the left simply cannot believe this and they do everything they can to smear him. They ignore the message, the facts, the links, and they mock and attack the messenger. And now a rally has been planned in direct response to Beck’s 8/28 event.
Ironically, thanks in part to Glenn, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert now have the ear of millions of people. They have been using Beck like Greta used OJ. And they now have in front of them — unknowingly I believe — the opportunity to have a significant and positive impact on a generation, and the chance to alter history.
The aforementioned group of the politically apathetic include a lot of Stewart/Colbert fans. They are the 18-34 year old demographic, many of them raised on instant access to information, spastic television, raunchy “music,” an overly sexual advertising industry and plain old declining values. And many of them think that Stewart and Colbert are actual news reporters worth listening to. This is a problem, but it can be fixed.
If Stewart and Colbert are truly serious about “restoring sanity” they should save the personal attacks and sarcasm for their show and treat this gathering as seriously as Beck treated his. They have the chance to open the eyes of millions of people, to point out the lies, distortions, and innacuracies of the media. They can show the before and after November 2008 and remind the audience how important their vote is, and how important an educated vote is. That would be GOOD.
OR, they can treat this casually and try to claim some sort of centrist ideoligical kumbaya moment, after which the crowd leaves what they see as a cool party, but with no intellectual remnants. That would be BAD.
I hope that Stewart and Colbert motivate them to learn, to do their own research, and to think. Maybe show them some numbers and how Obama math simply doesn’t work. The deficit, the flip flops, the hypocrisy. And show them that both parties have made mistakes, not just those war-mongering Republicans. (I know that it’s too much to ask these libs to show them how the left has screwed America with its entitlements and big government failures.)
Can it happen? Can these two talented comedians rise above their hatred for Bush and their frustration with Obama to deliver a positive message? I can dream, can’t I?
