Restoring Sanity or Restoring Spectatorship?

A friend passed along this article that he wrote about the Upcoming "Rally to Restore Sanity" that John Stewart is promoting:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rizvi-qureshi/against-jon-stewart-resto_b_774079.html

My comments:

When I was a kid I remember Charles Barkley had done something that dissapointed a lot of people, and when he was critized for his short comings, he said, "I'm not a role model." Immediately after that, someone told him, "You're a role model whether you like it or not."

Whether we like it or not, Stewart and Colbert are able to provide the most widely disseminated informed critiques of politicians, media pundits, wars, power disparities, injustice, hypocrisy, etc.. of any intelligent / liberal / progressive force anywhere in our country. Yes, it's messed up the fake news is the real news, that you have to be a comedian or celebrity to hold a microphone and have anyone listen to you when you tell the truth about how wrong things are. It's HIGHLY messed up that all of us are looking for political leadership to PROFESSIONAL ACTORS, rather than community activists, progressive journalists, and/or the leaders of a real progresive party...

The media in this country is a big, upside down, lying mess. It has utterly failed the people to keep them informed and capable of making intelligent decisions in an era of recession, terrorism, war, and runaway corporate power. Similarly, liberals and progressives are a mess. Despite our great numbers, we've failed to organize our power in any meaningful way. We remain, for the most part, slaves to corporate militarists in the Democratic Party who have consistantly betrayed every liberal promise ever made in an election year.

That being said, the country is in a crisis, and it is politically unstable. We know what the "solutions" of the right are: immigrant bashing, race baiting, war, and more attacks on the poor to pay for the rich's bailouts. In this situation, whether they deserve it or not, Stewart and Colbert have the chance to promote a real alternative.

It's irresponsible how they pretend to be "above it all". Real lives are at stake. Without a progressive alternative the future of democracy in the US looks very dark . Fence sitting is unhelpful.