100 Proof Politics Press Release - 10-31-10

Sanity Prevails in US Capitol

Poll for Stewart, Colbert Rally Shows Thousands prefer Sanity over Fear by 2-to-1

Washington, D.C. – With thousands of young voters attending Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert’s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear”, a social media straw poll shows that fans of the Comedy Central sponsored event overwhelmingly prefer Sanity in their politics to the politics of Fear.

After over 10,000 votes had been cast and counted, Sanity garnered 62.3% of the vote in a landslide victory over Fear, which received a paltry 37.7%. Votes were tabulated using SMS text messages captured by a Google voice number as well as through an iPhone application created by 3Advance, LLC. Early voting was encouraged over the internet for those who could not be in attendance on the day of the rally.

“Young Americans are incredibly politically engaged and excited about voting this year, as demonstrated by the interest in Saturday’s rally and participation in our electronic straw poll,” said Ryan Clayton, creator of the online news-site 100 Proof Politics, “With Sanity much more popular among America’s youth, it is clear that the future does not look good for crazy politicians and candidates running on the platform of fear.”

By capturing the attention of the youth vote on the verge of the mid-term elections, it is likely that the Stewart & Colbert event will impel higher youth voter turn-out and potentially shift the dynamic of many close races around the country. One group from www.theBallot.org, affiliated with The League of Young Voters, passed out over 50,000 pieces of campaign merchandise to attendees promoting the “Vote Sanity” theme.

“Young people were mauling us to get their hands on Vote Sanity gear and vote by text message or iPhone app,” Co-Organizer Billy Wimsatt from the­ www.theBallot.org said after the event, “The myth of the enthusiasm gap, created by pollsters talking only to old folks on landlines, is going to be proven wrong when throngs of young people that voted for Obama get off their rear-ends and vote again in 2010.”

Leading up to the rally, two campaigns struck up online with Vote Sanity housed at both www.VoteSanity.com & www.VoteSanity.org, while Vote Fear collaborators joined forces at www.VoteFear.com and directed supporters to www.Republicorp.us. On the day of the event, the mood on the National Mall was part serious political rally and part funny Halloween party, but it was a purely patriotic and a uniquely American day.

“It was clear that Vote Sanity had the upper hand in this crowd, where sanity prevailed in our Nation’s Capitol, if only for one day.” Erica Payne, Founder of The Agenda Project, summed it up perfectly when she said, “Especially among the next generation of voters, it proved people enjoy laughing together while talking politics more than tea parties and attack ads. In spite of all the predictions, it gave me hope that Sanity has reached a tipping point and may prevail in the real election on Tuesday too.”

To learn more about this project and the results of the vote, visit www.100ProofPolitics.com.

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100 Proof Politics Press Release - 10-28-10

Stewart, Colbert Rally Attendees Choose Sides

Young Voters encouraged to “Vote Sanity” or “Vote Fear” at upcoming event in D.C.

Washington, D.C. – With thousands of young fans descending upon the National Mall in DC to attend John Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity” & Stephen Colbert’s “March to Keep Fear Alive” on October 30^th, a local coalition of activists and organizations are encouraging attendees to choose sides using social media technology.

In the wake of competing liberal and conservative rallies this Summer, which generated largely older crowds, the upcoming Comedy Central sponsored event provides a forum for politically–oriented young voters to descend on the mall in massive numbers and make their voices heard just days before the 2010 mid-term elections, even if their political statements are interspersed with chuckles.

“The next generation of voters are not backroom-dealing politicians, nor are they angry geriatric tea party supporters,” said Erica Payne the Founder of www.VoteSanity.org, “They are seriously tuned into politics, but they like to laugh too. As the old saying goes, a little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down - that’s why tens of thousands are showing up on Saturday in DC.”

In order to gauge the political leaning of the crowd for this event, the online news-site 100 Proof Politics is sponsoring a competing vote between the two sides at the rally. By texting “Sanity” or “Fear” to (202) 656-4114, young voters visiting the Nation’s Capitol on the verge of this year’s mid-term election will show the country where their allegiance lies.

Early voting is available now on the internet to those who will not be able to make it on the day of the event. Voicemails, SMS texts, Facebook counts, & iPhone application results will be combined to produce the final tally. Results of the vote will be released to the press in time for publication on the morning of October 31^st.

In true campaign fashion, two competing social media campaigns have sprung up on the web, supporting each side respectively: “Vote Sanity” at www.votesanity.com & www.votesanity.org and “Vote Fear” at www.votefear.com. The two campaigns additionally have created Facebook pages and Twitter accounts in order to communicate with supporters and spread the word through social media.

“There is no telling how this vote will turn-out,” Co-Organizer Billy Wimsatt from the www.theBallot.org said on the eve of the event, “It is exciting to see which side this crowd claims as their own, because they represent the next generation that will decide for years to come where our country is headed and where it goes.”

By capturing the attention of the youth vote on the verge of the mid-term elections, it is likely that the Stewart & Colbert event will impel higher youth voter turn-out and potentially shift the dynamic of many close races around the country.

“Jon Stewart is the Will Rogers of our time. His mixture of current events and potent humor is what keeps many young Americans tuning in every night.” Ryan Clayton of the online news-site 100 Proof Politics, summed it up by saying, “A lot of the young folks I know get most of their news from a comedian. So, if it takes a comedian to get their attention and motivate young voters to go to the polls this year, then so be it.”

To learn more about this project and follow the results of the vote, visit www.100ProofPolitics.com.

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