The Elephant in the Room

October 7, 2007 3:19 PM

The logo for the 2008 GOP convention was unveiled this past week. People are like, what? “Wide stance? Check. In Minneapolis? Check. Prison stripe-wearing? Check. Starry eyed? Check.”^*

“The emblem features the words ‘Republican National Convention, Minneapolis-Saint Paul’ encircling the silhouette of a sex-crazed Elephant mounting the year 2008.

‘Choosing our logo is another important milestone in planning the 2008 Republican National Convention,’ said convention President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Cino in a press release. ‘This design highlights the spirit of the Republican Party and it will adorn everything from the Xcel Energy Center to t-shirts and other souvenirs.’

As of press time, RNC officials refused to explain the sexual overtones of the logo, though some have suggested the elephantine carnality is a metaphor for seven years of GOP chutzpah. Those with a less cynical interpretation disagree and maintain that the image symbolizes the lovin' the party has in store for the nation come 2008.

Whatever the case, the RNC is keeping mum. When asked about the reasoning behind the salacious depiction, GOP pressman Matt Burns replied flatly, ‘If you have any serious questions, you can call me.’

This elephant in the room debuted two days before local newspapers trumpeted stories of Sen. Larry Craig (R-Bathroom Stall) vowing to remain in the Senate. Fitting, for the elephant in the logo also seems to prefer a wide stance.”^*

posted by ericb (55 comments total)

IMO, they hit a hole in one.
posted by Poolio at 3:23 PM on October 7, 2007

It's also worth noting that the logo is almost entirely blue.
posted by Poolio at 3:24 PM on October 7, 2007

Huh. I think it looks like roadkill. The stripes are tread marks, and the star for the eye looks like an 'X' at a glance: the standard cartoon shorthand for "dead".
posted by mr_roboto at 3:25 PM on October 7, 2007

I think it's refreshing that the Republicans have abandoned all pretense, and have gone straight to using Great Cthulhu as their mascot.
posted by JHarris at 3:29 PM on October 7, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

Sometimes an elephant is just an elephant.
posted by 23skidoo at 3:30 PM on October 7, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

Others have suggested that the stripes symbolize the GOP wrapping themselves in the flag.
posted by Poolio at 3:32 PM on October 7, 2007

Interestingly if you juxtapose this logo with the Democratic donkey logo it looks like the donkey has just delivered a death blow to the elephant.
posted by Pollomacho at 3:32 PM on October 7, 2007

Also, the end of the trunk looks like a penis.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:32 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

What doesn't?
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 3:35 PM on October 7, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Vaginas don't really look like penises.
posted by Pollomacho at 3:37 PM on October 7, 2007

Vaginas don't really look like penises.

Seen a clitoris lately?
posted by felix betachat at 3:40 PM on October 7, 2007

ROTFLMAO! This is priceless.

I have ceased being a democrat or republican or libertarian or reform party dude or green or anything other than a humorist supporter. Whichever party can give people like Letterman and Stewart more material with which to make me laugh, I'm all for it.

With this thing, all Stewart would have to do is reveal it in the upper left corner of the screen, and then stare blinklessly at the camera for five minutes while his audience erupts with laughter and falls on top of one another rolling in the aisles in hysterics. Then Stewart would start to say something, stop himself, and stare unblinking another five minutes with more uproarious laughter. A monk could then walk onto the studio, pour gasoline on himself and set himself on fire, and no one would notice cuz they're too busy laughing at the starry-eyed elephant with a Don Juan complex.

I can't wait to see what the democrats do with their donkey. I hope Kevin Smith is involved somehow.
posted by ZachsMind at 3:40 PM on October 7, 2007 [8 favorites has favorites]

Seen a clitoris lately?

I'm a guy, so no.
posted by Pollomacho at 3:41 PM on October 7, 2007

Seen a clitoris lately?

*sigh*
not lately, no.
posted by quonsar at 3:43 PM on October 7, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

Is this like one of the Magic Eye things? Because I really want to see it, but I just don't.
posted by empath at 3:44 PM on October 7, 2007

Idunno, Pollomacho. I'm a guy, and I was pretty close to a clitoris last night.

On preview: Dammit, Quonsar! You're too quick.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 3:46 PM on October 7, 2007

Hey, that elephant kinda looks like Lisa Simpson giv...
posted by iamkimiam at 3:47 PM on October 7, 2007

You've probably seen this, but this reworking of the convention logo cracked me up
posted by edgeways at 3:48 PM on October 7, 2007

Here's hoping they order a massive quantity of these as their Official Campaign Shorts.
posted by CKmtl at 3:51 PM on October 7, 2007

"Dammit, Quonsar! You're too quick."

That's what she said...


Ba dum bump.
posted by stenseng at 4:02 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

My first impression was that the elephant has big chunks of it's back missing. No back, no backbone.
And then there's that penis-looking thing up it's butt. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but it is rather hypocritical.
posted by NoMich at 4:07 PM on October 7, 2007

I look at that logo and I can't stop thinking "dancing bear."

Really. 2008 is gonna be a good year for political comedy.
posted by ZachsMind at 4:08 PM on October 7, 2007

Yup, something off with that tail.

Looks like a creamer. But with the star for an eye, it's either drug addled or just been thwacked by the kick ass donkey.

Bizarro rubbernecking at the Larry Craig 'historic' toilet stall. Yikes.
posted by nickyskye at 4:10 PM on October 7, 2007

Sorry, I'm as sex-crazed as any other man in the street, but I don't see salacious iagery here. What astounds me is that drug-addled eye. Jeez, what is this elephant on? Poppers? Ecstasy?

Obviously, this elephant is on something other than the Republicans' traditional drug of choice: ethyl alcohol.

Any ideas?
posted by kozad at 4:28 PM on October 7, 2007

I'm with mr_roboto on this one: roadkill. Unfortunate logo? Yes. Sexual? I think that's reaching.

With a trunk.

Towards a penis.

I got nothing.
posted by brundlefly at 4:31 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

They got the skull right. An elephant is the only animal with four knees. Why not show both forelegs? The back left leg looks broken. The right back foot an afterthought, more like it is stepping into a hole. The ears of an Asian elephant. The tusks African. The tail says "teapot" at best and tail between its legs at worst. The stripes say capital "E" and that reminds me of Enron. I'm all for a new take on a labored flag metaphor but the (lone) star here is on the wrong side. Why does the trunk look like a snake?

This logo lacks finesse and subtlety. It is perfect.
posted by hal9k at 4:32 PM on October 7, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

Vaginas don't really look like penises.

Seen a clitoris lately?

A vagina is not a clitoris. The clitoris is not part of the vagina. I believe you have just explained many people's disappointing sex lives.
posted by frobozz at 4:39 PM on October 7, 2007 [6 favorites has favorites]

the trunk looks both like a dick and a whip, no?

And the tail looks like it's f*cking the elephant, Foley/Craig/McConnell/McHenry/Dreier/Shrock/Mehlman/...style.
posted by amberglow at 4:42 PM on October 7, 2007

our, you could just say, the tail is "tucked", Rudy dragqueen-style. ; >
posted by amberglow at 4:43 PM on October 7, 2007

it really is funny--the Elephant has been the GOP symbol for years and years, but they didn't know that they only stand up to f*ck?
posted by amberglow at 4:44 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Justice: They didn't really steal the monkey. It was just a diversion so we could steal these.

[showing a bag of stolen diamonds]

Justice: And they're not the leaders of the C.L.I.T. The C.L.I.T is not real.

Whillenholly: No the clit is real. Its the female orgasm that's the myth.

Sorry. Couldn't resist...
posted by Samizdata at 4:47 PM on October 7, 2007

Looks like a creamer.

That's what the cop who busted Craig said...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:51 PM on October 7, 2007

I don't think that Democratic one linked above is much better. Unless they are going for "running around like a donkey with its head cut-off".
posted by smackfu at 5:16 PM on October 7, 2007

I thought this was a dumb criticism when it was posted to Talking Points Memo the other day. I have an outrageously dirty mind and I don't vote republican (although i don't consider myself on a 'team' and would consider doing so, on a candidate by candidate basis, if the republican party weren't so fucking insane these days), but this is just silly.

It's suggestive if you want to see it that way to score some "OMG!" points and are surrounded by like-minded people.

There are more important things going on with respect to America than this.
posted by psmith at 5:39 PM on October 7, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Silly and mockery has enormous power, psmith--don't knock it.
posted by amberglow at 5:46 PM on October 7, 2007

Unfortunately the elephant seal keeps fucking the donkey nearly every time
posted by growabrain at 5:50 PM on October 7, 2007

There are more important things going on with respect to America than this.

And yet, it's worth commenting on. I wonder, is there a "most important" topic that trumps all others? I mean, for all but one topic, there's something more important to worry about.
posted by maxwelton at 6:15 PM on October 7, 2007

wtf, it's just a dumb logo.
posted by blacklite at 6:22 PM on October 7, 2007

I'm looking at that elephant's position, and I'm wondering... where's the other elephant?
posted by katillathehun at 6:31 PM on October 7, 2007

Hankypanky Tuskadero
posted by rob511 at 7:13 PM on October 7, 2007

So basically the message is that in 2008 they're openly admitting to fucking us?
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:17 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Unfortunately the elephant seal keeps fucking the donkey nearly every time
posted by growabrain at 5:50 PM on October 7

Heh, I read that as elephant seal.
posted by SBMike at 7:40 PM on October 7, 2007

So, the donkey looks like a geneticlaly modified springbok with a head transplant and its legs cut off at the knees.

The elephant looks like everyone on the committee got to pick one element and the artist agreed to incorporate them all.

But he money line of this post is about how choosing the logo is another important milestone in planning the RNC.

Great, so thanks for the strategic plan update, Maria. Can you stop the war now?
posted by salishsea at 8:40 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Interestingly if you juxtapose this logo with the Democratic donkey logo it looks like the donkey has just delivered a death blow to the elephant.

Quickie.
posted by Sangermaine at 8:53 PM on October 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Well, the tip of the trunk looks like a glans. It's not even a reach [around].
posted by docpops at 8:58 PM on October 7, 2007

WTF?
posted by chance at 9:04 PM on October 7, 2007

Seen a clitoris lately?

I'm a guy, so no.

Sorry about that.
posted by sourwookie at 9:27 PM on October 7, 2007

OMG WTF??
posted by Poolio at 11:11 PM on October 7, 2007

I figured the Democratic logo had the donkey in that position as if it were offering itself up to be fucked in the ass by the Republican logo. It would certainly be in keeping with the Democratic party line.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:40 AM on October 8, 2007

It looks like an elephant eating a plate of beans.
posted by craven_morhead at 7:27 AM on October 8, 2007

A slight rotation makes the logo appear more realistic.
posted by JJ86 at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2007 [7 favorites has favorites]

JJ86 wins.
posted by wsg at 8:10 AM on October 8, 2007

The Republican Decline
posted by homunculus at 9:48 AM on October 8, 2007

We can break our arms patting ourselves on the back, but in the end I think the record will show that the modern Republican party has been employing ugly and bad graphic design for many years now. It's been too consistent to be accidental. I think it's part of the utterly fictional image they try to cultivate -- perennial aw-shucks underdogs, unsophisticated in the Slick Willy ways of mass media.

In any case, people willingly display the stuff on their property or even on themselves. For whatever reason, this sort of ugly works for them. Yet another bad logo isn't a defeat when another bad logo is exactly what you wanted.
posted by Western Infidels at 10:18 AM on October 8, 2007

JJ86's logo treatment should be spread far and wide!
posted by five fresh fish at 11:47 AM on October 8, 2007