Reply #88: Actually, that's how the donkey got started.

[Qutzupalotl]

According to Wikipedia:

The most common mascot symbol for the party is the donkey. According to the Democratic National Committee, the party itself never officially adopted this symbol but has made use of it.<99> They say that Andrew Jackson's opponents had labeled him a jackass during the intense mudslinging that occurred during the presidential race of 1828. A political cartoon titled "A Modern Balaam and his Ass" depicting Jackson riding and directing a donkey (representing the Democratic Party) was published in 1837. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast in an 1870 edition of Harper's Weekly revived the donkey as a symbol for the Democratic Party. Cartoonists followed Nast and used the donkey to represent the Democrats, and the elephant to represent the Republicans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_%28United_States%29#Name_and_symbols


The way I see it, since we never really adopted the donkey, we're not stuck with it.