I like Jon Stewart, but I’m not sure I like his planned “Rally to Restore Sanity.” And not for the reasons outlined by David Corn on Politics Daily.
The rally — a massive public-relations stunt designed to make a political point — is being billed as a counterweight to the shouting that has taken over the political debate.
We’re looking for the people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones that get heard; and who believe that the only time it’s appropriate to draw a Hitler mustache on someone is when that person is actually Hitler. Or Charlie Chaplin in certain roles.
Hard to argue, right? Maybe.
The problem is the way this is being framed as a defense of moderation that lumps all disagreement together as extreme. Glenn Beck and Alan Grayson hold down equal places along the political spectrum, which does nothing to reclaim the discourse. Instead, it creates a false equivalence — Beck is Grayson, Grayson is Beck, left and right are both on the fringe and moderation is where it’s at.
The goal is respectful debate more than it is policy, more than it is activism. This strikes me as dangerously muddled thinking — even if what we are talking about is a send up (actually, dueling send ups) of extremism.
I remain convinced that calls for moderation absent a commitment to progressive policies are just empty calls that will do nothing, leaving the corporate powers to continue their hold on power.
Hank Kalet 
There is absolutely no equivalence between Beck and Grayson. Beck is a clown and a shill for his corporate overlords while Grayson is a duly elected representative who works for the people and not the corporations. In fact, the corporatists are working hard to defeat Grayson, they are pouring millions into the campaign of Grayson's GOP opponent. I'm a little disappointed in Jon Stewart's position in this particular instance but I still like the bulk of his work.