Not the GOP: Just an Elephant

In this photo, I simply represent my bold, beautiful self – not a political party!

My kind are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. I am herbivorous; I don’t eat meat. Yuck! I can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. As you can see, I prefer to stay near water. I can live up to 70 years in the wild. Living in captivity restricts some of my freedom, but I am dealing with it. At least I don’t have to be bothered with, lions, tigers, hyenas and wild dogs. Truth is, they are cowards. They go after young elephants. I will kick their ass! I may not be able to talk, but I communicate by touch, sight, and sound; I use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances.

My African relatives are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while my Asian kin are classed as endangered. One of the biggest threats to my population is the ivory trade, as we are poached for our ivory tusks.

As for the GOP, political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902) was the first to use the elephant. Nast’s initial drawing of my symbol of the Republican Party occurred in a cartoon titled “The Third Panic,” and it depicts my kind as bounding into a pit across broken boards with the words “inflation,” “reform,” and “repudiation” written on them. Nast’s drawing represents his view of the party’s decline, especially in light of a financial panic at the time. According to Nast, the Republicans were falling victim to scare tactics of the Democrats and abandoning their party’s platform. To his amusement, the Republican Party adopted my kind’s image because it represented both dignity and strength. True, true! These qualities were considered admirable. In some of of Abraham Lincoln’s scribbles was found a sketch of an elephant. Way to go, Abe!

Well, enough about me. Thanks, Jayden for taking my photo and stopping to chat! Have a great day!