The secrecy surrounding the “Rally to Restore Sanity (or Fear)” leaves everything to the imagination until noon Saturday. Or almost everything besides the touted performances of John Legend and the Roots, Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy, and Sheryl Crow — none of whom would be likely to headline a Glenn Beck or Tea Party rally. Hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert can be expected to tweak Democrats as well as Republicans and to downplay their own political leanings. But if the satirists play true to the title of their event, what will they tell the hundreds of thousands trekking to Washington and the many thousands more watching the livecast? If the nation’s sanity needs to be restored, will they hint who might be most responsible for driving America over the edge? 

Neither Stewart nor Colbert is likely to exacerbate the risk they have taken by addressing such touchy questions directly. But some Democrats believe the “crazy” label will stick to Republican candidates, especially those associated with the Tea Party movement — and that sanity versus its opposite may well be the most effective meme to sway independent and undecided voters during the final days of the campaign.

Over the past several days, a group of progressive activists — including Erica Payne, Billy Wimsatt, Trevor FitzGibbon and Heather Hurlburt — has put together a hasty but creative effort to promote “Vote Sanity” as the closing argument against the Republicans. On VoteSanity.com, author and entrepreneur Wimsatt has adopted the colors and graphics of the rally logo, urging everyone going to Washington or attending one of the hundreds of satellite rallies around the country to bring “Vote Sanity” signs. (If that is too subtle, the site links directly to MoveOn.org.)

At VoteSanity.org, a site put up by the Agenda Project, there is an amusing video titled “Welcome to Crazytown” that reviews the kookiest antics of the Tea Party crowd, with the help of cartoon figures and a cuckoo clock, plus a helpful list of “ten signs someone is a complete wack-a-doodle,” with linked references to Sharron Angle, Carl Paladino, Glenn Beck and Nazi SS reenactor Rich Iott, among others. 

All of this may seem either desperate or whimsical, but “Vote Sanity” is based on more than simply ripping off Comedy Central. Behind the slogan is survey research conducted recently by Drew Westen, the Emory University psychologist and author of “The Political Brain,” who found swing voters strongly receptive to a one-line message: “We need leaders who hear the voice of the people, not people who just hear voices.” Whether those undecided voters actually know which candidates have displayed signs of derangement is another matter. 

But that is where Stewart and Colbert could provide important guidance — if they are sufficiently daring to “kid on the square” (as Al Franken would say) about where the anticipated GOP blowout might land us. Nobody should expect a partisan speech from these comic artists, but both can easily caricature the pretensions to fiscal responsibility, outdated nostrums, conspiracy mongering, shrill prejudice and nutso extremism that one party has exploited during this campaign.

Isn’t that what they do every night? And they wouldn’t even have to say “Republican.” 

The House’s No. 2 Democratic leader says comedian Stephen Colbert’s (kohl-BEHR’s) testimony last week on immigration was “inappropriate” and “an embarrassment.”

Colbert was invited to appear before the House Judiciary Committee by Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California. But other Democrats weren’t happy about her decision.

The committee chairman, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., asked Colbert to leave the room at the beginning of the hearing because Colbert has no expertise in farm labor issues or immigration policy.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland tells “Fox News Sunday” he thought the episode was more of an embarrassment to Colbert than to the House. But, he added, “I think it was inappropriate” that he testified.

Faced with the inescapable fact that he is one of the two most effective mouthpieces for the progressive political agenda in the nation, comedian Stephen Colbert testified before the House Immigration and Agriculture subcommittee today in support of the legalization of undocumented agriculture workers.

It was weird. John Conyers initially asked Colbert to leave, but hearing chair Zoe Lofgren allowed him to stay. Colbert’s prepared testimony was funny, but fell flat before an audience of self-serious old legislators. “Apparently, even the invisible hand doesn’t want to pick beans.”

• David Brooks got a new picture!
• The super-rich are even richer. And the American government spends billions enriching the regular rich, at the expense of the poor and middle-class.
• Michael Enright, the film student who slashed a Muslim cabbie, said a bunch of crazy anti-Muslim things after he was arrested.
• Stephen Colbert wil testify at a congressional hearing on immigration on Friday.
• “House Dems delay votes to allow GOP to unveil new agenda”
• Skip Gates trashes Dinsesh D’Souza and Newt Gingrich.
• “Someone at the FBI decided that it was a good idea to lie to Congress in order to cover up improper monitoring of an unpopular political group.” But there probably will be no consequences.
• This is The most Politico-y Politico headline of September: “Poll: 2010 narrative still isn’t written.” (Pollster: Mark Penn.)
• Our White House press corps was really worried about Twitter yesterday.
• Bankers: Still really sad that people blame them for things.