Inside my wandering mind

It looks something like this...

The DH and I were trying to remember if the donkey was Republican or Democrat.

We finally figured out that the donkey was Democrat.

The DH said something to the effect of "too bad they're sterile."

I said something to the effect of "wha????"

Then we had to figure out whether it was donkeys or mules that were sterile.

And usually when I have to figure something out I decide to blog about it.

Mules are the result of breeding a jack (male donkey) with a mare (female horse).

Although it is possible and legal to breed different species from the equidae family, the offspring are almost always sterile.

Other hybrid equids include the hinny (male horse with female donkey), the zonkey (donkey with zebra) and zebroid (zebra with horse).

Donkeys are not sterile.

Why the donkey anyway? A poor branding choice, if you ask me.

It first started with Andrew Jackson using his critic's term "jackass" in his favor on campaign posters, and he continued to be considered "stubborn" on issues throughout his presidency. But, it wasn't until the late 1800s when a political cartoonist used the donkey to symbolize the reaction of what he perceived to be an anti-war publication to the death of Edwin Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary of War. The donkey stuck, and has been used to symbolize a bunch of different aspects of the Democratic party.

I wonder if the Democrats agree with me, that the donkey isn't necessarily the best choice, as they have never officially adopted the donkey as the mascot. I can't imagine anyone changing it though.

And (although frightening at times) that, Dear Readers, is an example of how my mind tends to wander.