Trying To “Goose” Truthiness Rally, Colbert Fans Raise Record-Breaking Charity Numbers (UPDATE)

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by Jon Bershad | 1:25 pm, September 14th, 2010

» 9 comments

Last night on the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert paid service to the fans eagerly clambering for a “Restoring Truthiness” rally. He showed off all of the stuffed geese they’d sent him following his request for “God Geese.” He also pretended to eat one of the doves fans released outside his studio. He didn’t, however, mention one other thing the fans have done: the fan-made Colbert Rally website has helped raise record-breaking charity dollars for the DonorsChoose.org charity.

From Time:

“Instead of simply using these sites to pester Colbert, fans decided to get some attention by doing some good. In only one day, the Restoring Truthiness movement has donated $100,000 and counting to educational charities through DonorsChoose.org, an organization of which Colbert is a board member. The money came so quickly that DonorsChoose.org’s server broke, and Reddit users shattered Hillary Clinton’s previous record of raising $29,945 for DonorsChoose.”

If you’re Colbert, that’s got to make you feel pretty good. Not only do your fans really want to see you live, they also seem like pretty nice people to boot (of course, as Bernie Goldberg would point out, those fans are probably only giving to charity to feel good about themselves). This is definitely putting the ball in the Colbert Report’s court (pronounced “coure”) to come up with something good. However, given that Colbert and Jon Stewart have been playing this “coming announcement” game for more than a week now, chances are they have something pretty special in the works. They better, at least.

UPDATE: The Daily Beast has a rundown of the movement’s charitable work and how it (like the Colbert Rally talk itself) began with a post on Reddit. They also received a quote from DonorsChoose:

“‘We are absolutely amazed and blown away by the Reddit community’s support of DonorsChoose.org in the last 24 hours,’ said Katie Bisbee, senior vice president of marketing at DonorsChoose.org. ‘Our entire staff is seriously filled with wonder—we are watching the tally climb every few minutes. The Reddit community is a force to be reckoned with! We are so grateful for the amazing impact they are having on classrooms across our country. And we know the teachers and students they are supporting are going to be so excited to start off the school year with brand new learning materials.’”

Check out the rest of the history as well as some quotes from some of the kindly Colbert fans here.

Jon Stewart, stephen colbert, Stephen Colbert Rally, The Colbert Report

CosmosDan

Yaaaaaay Steven! Loved the two day tribute to the troops as well. Gonna make a donation and help restore truthiness.
MyKinKStar

IF ONLY as many people would participate in REAL Government Change, then PERHAPS we wouldn’t be electing LOSERS who can’t do anything they promise.
SpineCrusher

MyKinKStar said:
IF ONLY as many people would participate in REAL Government Change, then PERHAPS we wouldn’t be electing LOSERS who can’t do anything they promise.

I’m pretty sure for someone to WIN (which would be who you refer to as LOSERS) many, many people would need to participate.

Am I missing something here?
Arkansas Steve

Stephen Colbert’s actual thoughts about his viewers & Glenn Beck:

Glenn, you are a leader worth following. What you did was so great, so creative, that I am going to emulate you.
Since I am a competitive person, I will try to outdo you. You know, much like a son wants to outdo his father.
But Glenn, inside me I really, sincerely admire you and what you do. Especially that absolutely amazing way in which your attendees cleaned up the National Mall after your rally. I’m afraid any people who came to a rally given by Jon or myself would leave it looking like a pigsty.

Glenn, please do not tell the media about these, my real thoughts. A few of them might not understand. Keep up the good work!

Stephen
philipjames

Well, when the Truthiness Rally effort raises over $1 million, let me know and I will watch in anticipation of greatness as it tries to get close to the $5.5 million Beck, Palin and the Restore Honor Rally raised.
All money raised for charity is appreciated, but to compare the two is idiotic. George Soros contributes more every day to the socialist cause while he rapes and pillages the financial markets for billions.
He shorted the British pound and screwed Britain in the process a number of years ago.
Just recently, he shorted the US dollar and loaded up on Gold, then started promoting gold while he sold some.
Is Soros a socialist or one of those greedy capitalists? I can’t quite figure that one out… just which side is he screwing with anyway? or just like he did in World War II, when he pretended he was not a Jew, he worked for the Nazis and worked with them in confiscating Jewish possessions. He has been a shyster his whole life.
ConcernedCitizen3

I’m sorry but I thought this was about Stephen Colbert and raising money for charity, not Glenn Beck and George Soros. I must be wrong…
MichelleF

Concerned, Philip is just exercising his first amendment right to free speech. I too hope Colbert gives as much to charity as Beck. I applaud anyone who does!
zumpano

Soros’ contributions are public record compared to those of the Koch Brothers.
Raygun

Yay!

Arkansas Steve said:
Stephen Colbert’s actual thoughts about his viewers & Glenn Beck:

Glenn, you are a leader worth following. What you did was so great, so creative, that I am going to emulate you.

Stephen Colbert has been channelling Glenn Beck before Glenn Beck. Like preemptive satire.