He didn't mean to kill jokes and ruin his friend's fun. He just usually ended up voicing every thought that came to mind- particularly when he was in deep contemplation. He'd been told it was rather annoying though, so he tried to curb the habit. Unfortunately, he wasn't always successful.
This time though, after a rocky start, Reed managed to smile and nod at his friend and took the joke for what it was-- a joke. He'd forgotten that a moment ago.
"Towards keeping an elected official out of office? I'm afraid there's not much we can do. Being a participant in a democracy means living with the result-- even if it's not one that you yourself envisioned. Now, any more measures towards assuring that Luthor won't be infiltrating my laboratories or stealing any ideas or designs from myself or others? Most definitely. Measures to keep the world from imploding upon itself? Absolutely."
Reed stopped and looked at Arthur for a moment, carefully considering him, absently toying with a small paperweight from his desk which was supposed to be the atomic structure of Radium (the manufacturer was slightly off in their counting of electrons, but it was a gift, so Reed kept it despite the flaws).
"If you're interested; you could be of great help in our... preventative measures, Arthur."
He should have probably consulted Tony about this first-- but someone like Arthur on their could be highly beneficial...