Why do the Republicans use the elephant and the Democrats use the donkey use a political symbols?

The Democratic donkey was first associated with Democrat Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. His opponents called him a jackass (a donkey), and Jackson decided to use the image of the strong-willed animal on his campaign posters. Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast used the Democratic donkey in newspaper cartoons and made the symbol famous.

Nast also invented the Republican elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party.

Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave, while Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.

The donkey was originally associated with Andrew Jackson, because his opponents called him a "jackass" and he decided to own the label and put it on his campaign posters.

In the 1870s, the cartoonist Thomas Nast started drawing Democrats as donkeys and Republicans as elephants. For whatever reason, it stuck.

I don't know the story but I don't have a problem with either. Although I don't think the Elephant fits the Republicans. Elephants remember everything. Republicans have short memories

Elephants live a very long time and remember everything. They are no way corrupt. Democrats are jackasses. Democrat leaders lie to their stupid followers who believe the lies even when people like Jonathan Gruber make the lies and corruption clear.

Like the elephant---Republicans never forget tyranny. And, well, Democrats seem to always act like a bunch of Jack As.......Never mind. It was only a theory.

I rather thing because Republicans are big and large and democrats are a bunch of A S S E S... For Dems it would be most apropos to have a small rich white phallus as their mascot.

In a nutshell, Republicans are the Fat Money Grubbing Elephants who absorb all the wealth while The Democrats are the Skinny *** Donkeys trying to spread the wealth.

Elephant = Intelligent.

Donkey = Best used as a pack animal.

A political cartoonist used them literally two centuries back.

Actually the Cons are elephants food.