BLAST FROM THE HISTORICAL PAST: The Origin of the Republican Elephant

By renowned editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast, circa 1874: 

Caption: “An Ass, having put on the Lion’s skin, roamed about in the Forest, and amused himself by frightening all the foolish Animals he met with in his wanderings.”

“In this cartoon, artist Thomas Nast reacts to a series of editorials in the New York Herald criticizing what Herald owner/editor James Gordon Bennett Jr. considered to be President Ulysses S. Grant’s bid for an unprecedented third term.

“The image of the featured cartoon was inspired by, and the text taken from, one of Aesop’s fables, “The Ass in the Lion’s Skin.” … To Nast, the New York Herald is not a roaring lion to be feared, but a braying ass to be ridiculed. The reference in the to “Shakespeare or Bacon” is a jibe at Bennett’s contention that Shakespeare’s works were actually written by Sir Francis Bacon.

“Here, the New York Herald appears as an ass in a lion’s skin, whose ferocious presence frightens the “foolish animals” of the press, including The New York Times (unicorn), the New York Tribune (giraffe), and the New York World (owl). A skittish fox, representing the Democratic Party, has edged onto a reform plank near a gaping pit, by which the trumpeting elephant, symbolizing the Republican vote, lumbers.”

FROM: https://www.harpweek.com/09cartoon/browsebydatecartoon.asp?month=november&date=7

This Day in Political History: January 5

January 5, 1531: Pope Clement VII forbids King Henry VIII from remarrying. Pope Clement VII sends a letter to King Henry VIII of England forbidding him to remarry under penalty of excommunication. Henry, who was looking for a way out of his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, ignored the pope’s warning. He went on to marry Anne Boleyn (and four subsequent wives), leading to his excommunication and one of the most significant schisms in the history of Christianity.

January 5, 1968: Prague Spring begins in Czechoslovakia. Antonin Novotny, the Stalinist ruler of Czechoslovakia, is succeeded as first secretary by Alexander Dubcek, a Slovak who supports liberal reforms. In the first few months of his rule, Dubcek introduced a series of far-reaching political and economic reforms, including increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents.

January 5, 1976: Pol Pot renames Cambodia. Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot announces a new constitution changing the name of Cambodia to Kampuchea and legalizing its Communist government. During the next three years his brutal regime was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1 to 2 million Cambodians.

Spring Semester Starts Next Week!

The 15 week (standard) as well as the first 8-week block (1/2) semesters begin next week. Perhaps take this opportunity to check your schedule against your Degree Works record – to make sure if you are taking what you need to take, etc.?

Of course, contact your adviser with any questions.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY, 1989: Romanian Communist Government Falls

“The Romanian army defects to the cause of anti-communist demonstrators, and the government of Nicolae Ceausescu is overthrown. The end of 42 years of communist rule came three days after Ceausescu’s security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Timisoara. After the army’s defection, Ceausescu and his wife fled from Bucharest in a helicopter but were captured and convicted of mass murder in a hasty military trial. On December 25, they were executed by a firing squad.

“Ceausescu, ruler of Romania since 1965, had resisted the liberalization of the USSR and other Soviet bloc countries in the late 1980s. By the time of his government’s downfall in 1989, Romania was the most repressive and economically backward country in Europe.”

From : https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/romanian-government-falls

BREAKING NEWS, FROM “THE ONION”: ‘You Know, If I Were You, I’d Go After Finland,’ Says Biden Trying To Dissuade Putin From Invading Ukraine

WASHINGTON: In an effort to dissuade the Russian leader from invading Ukraine, President Joe Biden reportedly told Vladimir Putin Wednesday, “You know, if I were you, I’d go after Finland.” “Ukraine’s cool and everything, but Finland has, like, an eighth of the people and twice the GDP—it’d be a breeze to annex, really,” said Biden on a phone call, hoping to avert a global crisis by convincing Putin that out of all the bordering countries Russia could possibly attack, the small Scandinavian nation had the most “bang for your buck.” “Look, I’m not trying to step on your toes; I’m just reminding you that you’ve got options. Why would you want a Slavic country anyway? You’re already a Slavic country; it makes no sense. Honestly, I doubt if they would put up much of a fight. Plus, I just Googled Finland, and wow, it looks beautiful. You can’t visit Santa Claus Village in Ukraine.” At press time, Biden added that invading Finland would also put Putin perfectly in position to invade Sweden.

From: https://www.theonion.com/you-know-if-i-were-you-i-d-go-after-finland-says-b-1848174572

(Disclaimer: If you didn’t know, “The Onion” is a satire website…)

Drs. Park & Baumgartner: New Research on Vice Presidential Selection

Dr. Baekwan Park & Dr. Jody Baumgartner have a forthcoming article in Presidential Studies Quarterly examining the dynamics of the selection of vice presidential candidates.

Abstract: This essay updates the small amount of formal research produced in the past 30 years dedicated to explicating the factors which drive the selection of a vice presidential nominee. Numerous demographic and political characteristics of the individuals on the presidential nominees’ short lists, as well as various measures of presidential ticket balance are modeled for the 24 contested major party vice presidential nominations from 1960 through 2020. Discrete choice analysis highlights the idea that the calculus used by presidential nominees to select their running mate has become more complex in the modern era. Years served in national political office, exposure in the national media, bringing either gender or racial/ethnic diversity to the ticket, youth, and not having been a rival for the presidential nomination, are all factors that seem to matter in the selection process. Predicted probabilities generated from the model correctly identify 18 (75%) of the eventual nominees.

 

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