I watched Jon Stewart’s speech at the end of the Sanity/Fear event in Washington DC. I didn’t really disagree with anything Stewart was saying. But, then, I didn’t disagree with Rodney King when he asked why we all couldn’t just get along with each other. There is a false equivalence in suggesting that the two parties in this country are both guilty of eschewing compromise and reason. I don’t think anyone is going to like what Stewart had to say. The right won’t like it because it was Jon Stewart saying it. The left won’t like it because he didn’t once suggest that his audience go out and vote and because it smelled like High Broderism. The media will hate it because his primary message is that the media is stoking fear and making us all act insane. Yet, it’s hard to fault Stewart for his idealism. And he’s funny. I understand why he chose not to be partisan in his message, but a rally of left-leaning people on the Saturday before a wipe-out right-wing landslide election day might have at least mentioned that it’s important for people who value reason to get out and vote…for whomever.
