By: Ben Smith and Keach Hagey
politico
September 20, 2010 05:36 PM EDT
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have cast their faux dueling Washington rallies as a kind of grand satire of the current state of media and politics.
'It's just like everything they do - it's really for the joke,' said one person familiar with the planning of the October 30 event, who asked = in the spirit of the 'Daily Show' - to be described as a 'senior administration official.'
But if it's a joke, it's a practical joke - and the targets are Glenn Beck, his followers, and the Republican Party candidates who face election three days after the event.
'Glenn Beck makes a big deal out of how, â€̃whatever you believe, all these people are really passionate about the issues, and look at this amazing turnout," said the person familiar with the planning. 'We're going to show you how ridiculous Glenn Beck is because we're going to put two comics up there and they're going to have more people.'
The event, three days before the crucial midterm elections, may be on track to draw a crowd on Beck's scale. On Facebook on Monday afternoon, more than 98,000 people said they planned to attend the event, and an additional 50,000 said they might attend.
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