Debatable Humor: Laughing Matters on the 2008 Presidential Primary Campaign represents the first systematic foray into understanding the use of humor by politicians on the campaign trail. Using content analysis of primary debates for both Republican and Democratic parties during the 2008 presidential election, this book considers not just how humor was used, who used it, and how successful these attempts were, but also attempts to understand the reason why humor and the laughter that results is an important part of politics. Not only can humor reveal a candidate's intelligence, values and personality, and the connection he or she has made with the audience as evidenced by their laughter, it also reveals the underlying values of egalitarian political systems.