I wasn't at the Stewart "Rally for to Restore Sanity" thingie, but I followed it on Twitter.

Andrew Sullivan loved the rally and discusses the vibe.

There were very, very few explicitly partisan appeals or personal attacks on public figures; and if the  Beck rally coalesced around vague themes of patriotism, God and motherhood, this one seemed motivated by a simple sensibility of reason, empiricism and humor. But it was no less determined for that, in a quiet, midwestern, Frances-McDormand-In-Fargo kind of way. It was BobBo, but also Generation Obama; it was cool, but also unfashionable in a frumpy NPR-listener kind of way. It was the post-everything American middle class.

The point, it seemed to me, was that politics isn't all there is to life, there is something slightly off about those who think it is, and that political ideology has come to define us culturally and personally far too much. So this wasn't an angry rally for the alienated Democratic left; or even a joyous rally like last fall's March for Equality; or a desperate and frustrated rally like the Tea Partiers. No one was demanding their country back; they were just demanding, well asking, for a little less polarization, and a little more mutual understanding.

I'm sorry, but it sounds really boring. Politics shouldn't be about a lifestyle of watching NPR and spouting insider jokes about bloggers. Being political — taking political positions, voting, supporting candidates — should be a component of your lifestyle.

Also, politics has to involve real politics. Call me crazy, but politics has to involve being for something. Sure, it's nice that Stewart critiques the press, but it has to go further than that. This was a fun, little, jokey rally. OK. But, now, give me a real rally. Irony a la carte, please.

UPDATE: Similar post from Michael Kazin. Laura/Geeky Mom talks about what it was like to be there.