> > The guy is a *Democrat*
> > fer Chrissake.
> Swing and a miss. Strike one.
I don't personally recall when we made Max umpire. And eyes which can see hope in Barack Obama don't seem to me to constitute a very good qualification for the job. However, such is my zeal for the enlightenment of humankind that I will try again, in spite of the old proverb about horses and water.
We need to figure out what's the null hypothesis. Max's way of posing the question -- how do we *know* that Obama is as beholden to money as Hillary, or something to that effect -- bungles this crucial, liminal step; gets it ass-backwards, in fact. The null hypothesis -- which needs to be refuted by positive evidence -- is that Obama is just like any other Democrat until demonstrated to be different. Max asks us to assume Obama is different until proven similar.
Perhaps an analogy will help. Max and I go to the zoo, and visit the sea-lion pool. Among the graceful glossy pinnipeds one in particular stands out: a lean, vigorous handsome creature with a rich teak-brown coat and a remarkably melodious and prepossessing bark.
Max: Wow! What a great seal!
Me: Sea lion, actually. But yeah, he's a champ.
Max: What do you think he eats?
Me: Why... uh... herring, I guess, like the other sea lions.
Max: I don't think so. I think he's a vegan seal.
Me: Sea lion. And I never heard of one who was a vegan. Doesn't seem likely.
Max [excitedly]: Prove it!