Why did Democrats choose the donkey for their mascot?
919689
When Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828, his opponents tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist views and his slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson, however, picked up on their name calling and turned it to his own advantage by using the donkey on his campaign posters. During his presidency, the donkey was used to represent Jackson's stubbornness when he vetoed re-chartering the National Bank.\n\nThe first time the donkey was used in a political cartoon to represent the Democratic party, it was again in conjunction with Jackson. Although in 1837 Jackson was retired, he still thought of himself as the Party's leader and was shown trying to get the donkey to go where he wanted it to go. The cartoon was titled "A Modern Baalim and his Ass".\n\nInterestingly enough, the person credited with getting the donkey widely accepted as the Democratic party's symbol probably had no knowledge of the prior associations. Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist, came to the United States with his parents in 1840 when he was six. He first used the donkey in an 1870 Harper's Weekly cartoon to represent the "Copperhead Press" kicking a dead lion, symbolizing Lincoln's Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who had recently died. Nast intended the donkey to represent an anti-war faction with whom he disagreed , but the symbol caught the public's fancy and the cartoonist continued using it to indicate some Democratic editors and newspapers.\n\nLater, Nast used the donkey to portray what he called "Caesarism" showing the alleged Democratic uneasiness over a possible third term for Ulysses S. Grant. In conjunction with this issue, Nast helped associate the elephant with the Republican party. Although the elephant had been connected with the Republican party in cartoons that appeared in 1860 and 1872, it was Nast's cartoon in 1874 published by Harper's Weekly that made the pachyderm stick as the Republican's symbol. A cartoon titled "The Third Term Panic," showed animals representing various issues running away from a donkey wearing a lion's skin tagged "Caesarism." The elephant labeled "The Republican Vote," was about to run into a pit containing inflation, chaos, repudiation, etc..\n\nBy 1880 the donkey was well established as a mascot for the Democratic party. A cartoon about the Garfield-Hancock campaign in the New York Daily Graphic showed the Democratic candidate mounted on a donkey, leading a procession of crusaders.\n\nOver the years, the donkey and the elephant have become the accepted symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties. Although the Democrats have never officially adopted the donkey as a party symbol, we have used various donkey designs on publications over the years. The Republicans have actually adopted the elephant as their official symbol and use their design widely.\n\nThe Democrats think of the elephant as bungling, stupid, pompous and conservative -- but the Republicans think it is dignified, strong and intelligent. On the other hand, the Republicans regard the donkey as stubborn, silly and ridiculous -- but the Democrats claim it is humble, homely, smart, courageous and loveable.\n\nAdlai Stevenson provided one of the most clever descriptions of the Republican's symbol when he said, "The elephant has a thick skin, a head full of ivory, and as everyone who has seen a circus parade knows, proceeds best by grasping the tail of its predecessor."
974388
First I thought syphillis would do it. Then I thought Alcoholism would do it, then I thought AIDS would do it. The sad thing is, stupid republicans help create democrats. There are really only two choices, neither of them very exciting.
1130347
When Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828, his opponents tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist views and his slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson, however, picked up on their name calling and turned it to his own advantage by using the donkey on his campaign posters. During his presidency, the donkey was used to represent Jackson's stubbornness when he vetoed re-chartering the National Bank.\n\n \n\nThe first time the donkey was used in a political cartoon to represent the Democratic party, it was again in conjunction with Jackson. Although in 1837 Jackson was retired, he still thought of himself as the Party's leader and was shown trying to get the donkey to go where he wanted it to go. The cartoon was titled "A Modern Baalim and his Ass".
112100
Newspapers begun using them to represent the parties and then the parties themselves adopted them as their mascots.
149238
Hi;\nThe donkey is a member of the horse family and is also known as "Ass","burro" and "Asinus". The scientific name is: Equus Asinus. It is the Nubian subspecies of African wild ass. It was first originated in Nubia and was used for work and carry load. there are diffrent types of donkeys and also different names for them in different pat of the world. Their names mostly comes from the language and the work they do. for example the domestice donkey is known as the beast of burden.\n\nyou can read more about the donkey at this website: http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/donkey.html#hist\n\nHope this helps.
829379
Interestingly enough, the person credited with getting the donkey widely accepted as the Democratic party's symbol probably had no knowledge of the prior associations. Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist, came to the United States with his parents in 1840 when he was six. He first used the donkey in an 1870 Harper's Weekly cartoon to represent the "Copperhead Press" kicking a dead lion, symbolizing Lincoln's Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who had recently died. Nast intended the donkey to represent an anti-war faction with whom he disagreed , but the symbol caught the public's fancy and the cartoonist continued using it to indicate some Democratic editors and newspapers.
745302
The term Grand Old Party is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the acronym G.O.P. is a commonly used designation, despite the Democratic Party having been around longer by 25 years or so. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the first known reference to the Republican Party as the "grand old party" came in 1876. The first use of the abbreviation G.O.P. is dated 1884.\n\nThe mascot symbol, historically, is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on 7 November 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol.[17] In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic donkey. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.
866783
Oh GAWD!!! That's not even a choice. Oh please...say it isn't so....Nancy Pelosi as president???? I'd rather have Cindy Sheehan...ok...no I wouldn't. How about Lassie, is the dog a democrat?
350233
about the same as my getting a three way with Jenna and Barbara Bush.  No, maybe you do have slightly better odds, since I am a Chicago Democrat and they probably prefer Texas Republicans.  Or dead donkeys.
225409
Thanks for asking!\n\nThe Duke is a proud Republican.  Until recently he represented a heavily Republican district in San Diego.
570084
no  ,the animals have no say in the process ,so its a crime to abuse a dumb animal,, when the donkey speaks in court ,,there may be inter- species dating ,
781966
http://www.c-span.org/questions/week174.htm\n\n\n\nThis describes how both party's symbols became into existence!!!!\nhttp://www.infoplease.com/askeds/donkey-elephant.html
731983
that he is showing the true colors of the democrats.  they  hate the military and john ketchup kerry is nothing more than a communist pig and should be made to resign.  him and ted, the swimmer, kennedy.
435309
Yeah, like when Kerry was going to Beat Bush? Democrats are loud mouths that participate in polls that mean DICK!\n\nThe real voters have values, work for a living and understand personal responsibility.\n\nThe democratic base is so illiterate that they can't read the ballot....maybe if it were pictures, they would have a chance.
836507
According to the Democrat party someone called Johnson a Jackass, and he adopted the donkey (actually a Jackass) as his symbol. It stuck.
837405
Democrats and originality don't mix well.
674457
You don't need yet another person to tell you that it stands for Grand Old Party, but The Republican National Committee says the acronym dates back to 1875, at which time it meant "Gallant Old Party." And in the early days of the automobile, it gained another popular, although ultimately fleeting, translation: "Get Out and Push" - the treatment early cars often needed.\n\nAs for the Elephant...It dates back to a cartoon by legendary political cartoonist Thomas Nast, who in an 1874 issue of Harper's Weekly, depicted the Democrats as a donkey trying to scare a Republican elephant.