Thousands to Voice Frustrations at Stewart and Colbert Rally

Oct. 28, 2010— -- From across the country – and Canada – thousands of supporters are expected in Washington to attend Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity" and "March to Keep Fear Alive" this Saturday.

More than 220,000 people have RVSP'd that they are attending on the event's official Facebook page. The National Park Service application, however, only estimated 25,000 people would attend the event, which is scheduled to last from noon to 3 p.m.

The rally is billed as a chance for people to voice their frustrations with American politics and the media, and, of course, be entertained.

"I personally have been frustrated with what I view as a lot of hypocrisy in politics," Miko Wilford, a 24-year-old psychology graduate student from Iowa State University said. "I feel 'The Daily Show' and the 'Colbert Report' do a good job of pointing out the hypocrisies."

Wilford will be making the 17-and-a-half-hour drive each way from Ames, Iowa to Washington for the rally. She said she has never made the long trip for an event before.

Politicians and media representation of politics have distracted Americans from the important issues, Wilford said. She said that she is looking forward to the rally to meet people who feel the same frustrations she does.

"I don't think people are going to the rally because they are liberal or conservative," Wilford said. "It's not about political ideology, but about the way politics are being sold."

For those coming from outside the U.S., it's a way to understand American politics better.

"I just think it's a really good opportunity to meet people who have a sense of humor about American politics," said Keirstead Farris, a 44-year-old custom T-shirt business owner from Vancouver. "Coming from an outsider, it sounds like Americans are constantly being told to be afraid, but they aren't being told what to be afraid of. Despite the fact that Jon Stewart is a TV host and the rally is based on a platform on comedy, I feel that Jon Stewart has more to say about politics than any pundit."