海角大神

鈥淐omedy is tragedy plus time, but why wait?鈥�

With that, Comic Cure鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Laugh Again鈥� 鈥� a roast of the 2016 presidential candidates 鈥� kicked off Tuesday night in Miami. Part stress-relief for folks weary of this bizarre presidential race, part competition for local comedians, the event had a serious side: to promote youth engagement in civic affairs, including showing up to vote.

But it was the political humor that stole the show, much of which can鈥檛 be repeated in a family newspaper.

鈥淭hey told me not to work blue tonight, so I鈥檓 going to work orange,鈥� said roast-master and filmmaker Billy Corben, pointing up at a photo of Donald Trump.

As expected, the Republican nominee bore the brunt of the jokes, but Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein of the Green Party were also singed.

鈥淗illary Clinton isn鈥檛 here tonight 鈥� we tried to invite her, but she kept deleting the emails,鈥� said Mr. Corben.

Ben Zieper, a high school student from Weston, Fla., got off some of the best (publishable) lines of the night.

鈥淥n my computer, I noticed a lotta these guys are kinda like the keys on my keyboard,鈥� said Ben, who was the winner of the 2015 Brickell Comedy Festival. 鈥淭rump鈥檚 the alt-right. Bernie鈥檚 the shift-left. Clinton鈥檚 delete all. Johnson鈥檚 the space bar. And Stein鈥檚 the function key. Jill Stein served a purpose at some point, but I鈥檓 not sure anyone knows what that is anymore.鈥�

Ben speculated on what Clinton will call herself if she wins: Madame President? Mrs. President? President Clinton? Then he floated his preferred option: 鈥淛ust to mess with Trump, you make everyone call you 鈥楳iss USA.鈥� 鈥�

Next up, Shana Manuel, who noted Trump鈥檚 cameo in the 1992 movie 鈥淗ome Alone 2鈥� 鈥� about a kid abandoned by his parents at Christmastime.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure that was good preparation for Trump,鈥� said Ms. Manuel, a criminal defense attorney by day. 鈥淗e was recently abandoned by the Republican Party during the election season.鈥�

The laughs flowed freely among the 300 or so people who attended the event at the Flamingo Theater Bar in Miami鈥檚 Brickell neighborhood.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a rough political cycle, I needed to get my laugh on,鈥� said Kylin Johnson of Miami.

All who attended were offered voter guides covering national, state, and local races in the Nov. 8 election. Local civic leaders served as judges 鈥� including state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz (R), who was fired by Trump on Season 5 of 鈥淭he Apprentice.鈥� True story.

The comedic lineup reflected the diversity of South Florida.

鈥淥n the dais tonight, we have four Jews, two black people, three Hispanics, a Muslim, and two homosexuals,鈥� said Corben. 鈥淥r, as Donald Trump calls us, deported.鈥�

Another standout was Jessica Fernandez, president of Miami-Dade Young Republicans.

鈥淵ou may have already heard my jokes, since I stole them all from Michelle Obama,鈥� said Ms. Fernandez, alluding to Melania Trump鈥檚 plagiarism scandal during the Republican National Convention. 鈥淭hank you, Michelle.鈥�

Fernandez also bemoaned the fate of the GOP鈥檚 two Hispanic presidential candidates.

鈥淭his was supposed to be our year,鈥� Fernandez said. 鈥淲e had two Republicanos up for president 鈥� we had Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz 鈥� well, we don鈥檛 claim Ted Cruz. The Democrats had Juli谩n Castro, who was this close to being vice president, but Hillary said, 鈥榃e need a Spanish-speaker instead.鈥� 鈥�

Fernandez kept going on Clinton: 鈥淚 agree, Hillary鈥檚 a fighter. We all agree with Donald, that鈥檚 one of her best qualities. That鈥檚 how she鈥檚 managed to destroy more cellphones than Samsung.鈥�

Another talent, Peruvian native Cristian Munarriz, also went long on the Latino theme.

鈥淢y name is Cristian, and I haven鈥檛 dressed this bad since the last time I got deported,鈥� said Mr. Munarriz, winner of the 2016 Latin American Comedy Festival. 鈥淟atinos are like clouds in the sky, we were made to cross the borders.鈥�

He said he supports the Democratic Party, 鈥渂ecause they have shown me the American dream is real. All I had to do is sign up for unemployment.鈥�

Sara Yousuf, board chair of Engage Miami, welcomed the audience, and threw in a little public service announcement. (The event served as a fundraiser for聽Engage Miami, which promotes civic participation among Millennials, and The Plantain, a Miami-based humor website.) 聽

鈥淚f we want a city that actually reflects our values, we鈥檙e going to have to work for it,鈥� said Ms. Yousuf, a public defender for Miami-Dade County. 鈥淭hat means registering to vote, becoming informed voters鈥�. It means showing up to commission meetings, and speaking when it comes time for public comment.鈥�

Millennials are now the biggest generation, but getting young voters to register and turn out can be tricky. They are transient, and may not see the value of their vote. Most Millennials are too young to remember the contested presidential election of 2000, when Democratic nominee Al Gore lost Florida to Republican George W. Bush by just 537 votes.

Florida remains the nation鈥檚 biggest battleground state, and polls show the race here is tight.

As for the comedy competition, audience members were invited to vote along with the judges onstage. We had to leave before the results were announced, but Justin Wales, founder and vice chair of Engage, filled us in.

鈥淭he winners were Ben Zieper and Cristian Munarriz,鈥� said Mr. Wales, who is also founder and editor in chief of The Plantain, and a Miami lawyer. 鈥淏ut the election was obviously rigged.鈥�