The February 2016 cover of MAD, advertises "The 20 Dumbest People, Events and Things in 2015 and Guess Who's #1?" illustrating the story with the perennially insouciant Alfred E. Neuman sporting The Donald's infamous hair do and getup replete with red tie and giving a thumbs up to his mentor who looms threatening over the shoulder of a new found protégé. Congratulations are in order for the man who has a great vision, but no specific plans. Is that being far or near sighted? "What, me Worry?" would actually be a great slogan for the Trump campaign, and MAD's dumbest award is a significant endorsement! MAD is, in fact, the perfect vehicle for Trump's message. The MAD piece, in awarding the winning slot to Trump, goes on thusly,
"Donald Trump--GOP FRONTRUNNER The Art of the Heel. Donald Trump's mouth is just like the hose that drains your septic tank--you never know what's going to come out of it, but you know it won't be good. Whether insulting Mexicans, veterans and woman or ridiculing Rand Paul, Roger Ailes and Jeb!, candidate Trump takes delight in...leaving voters waist-deep in his verbal diarrhea."
The fact is that Trump, who sucks the air out of just about any room, seems to upstage the veritable Alfred. At first you think that Newman has the upper hand, with the quizzical expression and the mischievous look in his eyes. But then you realize that Trump has scored another one, simply by making it to the MAD cover. Has he surpassed The Guinness Book of World Records by gaining the most free publicity of any candidate, living or dead? One thing is certain, Trump probably knows more about his wife's bowel movements than the does free trade? "I've never seen her make one, it's amazing," Trump told Howard Stern back in 2004 ("Here Is Everything We Know About Melania Trump's Bowel Movements," Gawker, 2/17/16) Only her proctologist knows for sure.
{This was originally submitted to The Screaming Pope, Francis Levy's blog of rants and reactions to contemporary politics, art and culture}