US comics cause stir with Tea Party jibes

Just four days before US voters go to the polls in the midterm elections on November 2, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, two of the country’s most popular comedians, will stage a “Restore Sanity to America” rally in Washington ironically modelled on recent Tea Party gatherings. Given the Democratic party’s inability so far to puncture the rise of a movement that polls say could sweep Republicans back to office six weeks from now, the comic rally may generate more than just laughter. Then again, it could be just another branding opportunity for two of the most lucrative comic shows in history. But one possibility worrying Democrats is that the rally will simply inflame Tea Party protesters further given that the Comedy Central network’s nightly audiences are dominated by educated liberals. Mr Colbert, who plays the persona of a rightwing talk show host, captured both sides of the double-edged sword when the rally was announced last week...more