Lampley Answers With Powerful Right Hook, Conyers Weighs in from Ringside!
Huffington Post's First Battle Royale Off To Rollicking Start! (With BRAD BLOG's Pro-Bono Sponsorship!)
By Brad Friedman on 5/10/2005, 11:02pm PT  

This morning's explosive item at the new Huffington Post by NBC/HBO's Jim Lampley stating that the November Election was the "biggest crime in the history of the nation" has apparently touched a nerve.

The Sports Announcer cum Political Commentator's deftly on-target blog item (covered by BRAD BLOG earlier today) --- in which he aptly suggested that what happened last November was bigger than Watergate --- was met with a limp-wristed rejoinder from Rightwinger Byron York also at the Post. York attacked Lampley's sports book metaphor as weak by using a silly comparison to the oddsmakers' take on last weekend's Kentucky Derby.

York then went on to attempt a futher rebuttal to Lampley with powerful statements such as...

There is ample evidence that the exit polls on November 2 were terribly screwed up --- for one thing, speaking from memory, I believe they grossly oversampled women in the early results, leading to the (mistaken) impression that Kerry was leading.

Good stuff. Very persuasive. I don't know much about York other than he writes for National Review and appears on Fox News all the time, but there is ample evidence that he is also a small gray-haired poodle --- for one thing, speaking from memory, I believe that I remember seeing him take a leak at a fire hydrant near our house. One time. Somewhere.

As to the Kentucky Derby silliness, Lampley himself pushed back with another post later in the day to embarrass York on that point, prove that he's no featherweight on this Election 2004 business and to demonstrate clearly that York is in way over his head on this matter.

We hope at least that Lampley tossed York a nice chew toy and gave him a warm pat on the head when he was done.

Not one to miss out on a good Election Irregularity Brouhaha wherever it may rear its ugly head, Celebrity Congressman John Conyers' showed up ringside at Huffington Post today as well to offer his well-experienced two-cents on today's main event!

We welcome this new spat and apologize for the bad boxing metaphors! But if that's what it takes to get folks to take notice, especially during May Sweeps, then we're happy to ring the bell for ROUND 3!

On a related note, we are attempting to reach Lampley to discuss it all on this weekend's BRAD SHOW presuming we make it back to the Left Coast in time, and can find a homebase broadcast studio! If Lampley himself reads this item before we are able to track him down, please let it be known he may contact us at our Email Address to discuss it!

We'd also be keenly interested in discussing another thought or two with him concerning this statement in his latest answer to York...

What is needed is for legitimate news media, whether old style or new age, to commit to the investigative process of getting to the bottom of what happened in November.

The BRAD BLOG has been hot on the trail and committed to that very "investigative process" he speaks of since the early morning hours of November 3rd. We'd like very much to discuss an idea or two with Lampley if he is able to contact us. Or vice versa.

And finally...while we've given so much coverage (and free links) to the well-funded start-up Huffington Post today...We'll add that this well-underfunded blog does not appear on her Blogroll! But certainly should! (As should RAW STORY for that matter who has similarly been a key player in that same "investigative process" for months!) Please feel free to let Arianna know via the only address we've so far been able to find to contact her: Scoop@HuffingtonPost.com.

This is a difficult story to follow blow-by-blow as we're currently on the road for 10 or so hours per day for the next few as we head back Westward across the fruited plains...So our thanks to those readers who have sent us links to help follow the day's action as we're otherwise putting pedal to metal!

UPDATE 5/11/05: Robert A. George pours some fuel on the "Lampley-York Smackdown", though --- unsurprisingly, by now --- takes shots at the good guys tactics/character as opposed to his argument. And Arianna features the entire brouhaha from her front page teaser column. Keep making noise...

UPDATE AGAIN 5/11/05: This morning, York tries to get out of the corner he's backed himself into by playing the already long-discredited "Even the Exit Pollsters admit they were wrong" card. Apparently, he hasn't been told that the Exit Pollsters own report has been entirely rebuked and debunked some time ago [PDF]. Get with it, York! You're losing big time on points as ROUND 3 begins, you're gonna need to punch harder than that!

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