Most Humorless Candidates Ever

Donald Trump telling a joke:

"A horse walked into a bar... I owned a horse, a fantastic horse, a thoroughbred. This horse, not my awesome beautiful horse but some other horse.. sit's down and the bartender... I have many bars in my fantastic hotels... top shelf ... you should see them.. many people say they are the best bars... the bartender says 'why the long face' ... I have the best face. I've been on many many magazine covers... I'm very photogenic."

What does Trump think is funny? Based on debate transcripts which the muse has painstakingly reviewed, the following is full recounting of where either candidate attempted to use humor to lighten the mood, make a point or engage with the audience. 

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Seriously - that's it. 

Have we ever had two more humorless candidates? Donald "thinks" he makes jokes, but mostly they are just outrageous statements. Famously, Trump suggested that "Second amendment people" might be able to do something about Hillary - a seemingly veiled reference to assassination. His campaign manager declared it was a joke a day later. When Trump called out Clinton and Obama as the "founder of ISIS," he subsequently excoriated the media for not be able to recognize sarcasm. Saying outrageously untrue or provocative things is not a joke - and almost never funny.

Clinton can deliver a joke - but not terribly well. When she had a coughing attack and was advised to not talk for a day or two she laughed about it telling reporters it wouldn't happen. Self-deprecating and mildly amusing. She joked about Pokemon Go - saying she wanted to create "Pokemon go to the polls."  But examples are pretty slim. 

In a debate being able to elicit a laugh at your own expense is a crucial and endearing quality. Reagan's most memorable debate line - I will not make an issue of my opponents youth and inexperience - was a poke at his own age. Neither Clinton nor Trump seem able to spontaneously "quip" with audience members, moderators, or each other. It's one of the things that makes the debates difficult to watch.

So the Muse is looking for a third debate devoid of humor. I suppose I'll do what I usually do, make jokes on twitter and laugh at myself. :)