How did the Democrats and Republicans get their mascots?

http://www.angelfire.com/rant/pearly/htmls2/dnc-donkey.html

http://www.c-span.org/questions/week174.htm

I suspected it was given to them by critics.

There is a soccer team in Brazil (the Palmeiras) who were ridiculed as pigs (porco) by their opposing fans, now they embrace the nickname.

Thanks for the links, I was too lazy to search.

Becomes more internalized when one does it - however, at my age, I've already forgotten!

Off-topic: here, the supporters of Feyenoord Rotterdam one day started calling Ajax Amsterdam supporters "Jews", betraying an unexpected historical awareness (Amsterdam used to be the centre of Jewish culture in Holland, before WW2). In an equally rare open expression of anti-semitism, it wasn't meant as compliment.

However, in yet another unexpected development, the Ajax supporters took the "Jews! Jews! Jews!" jeers in stride. In fact, now, while opposing teams' supporters will go as far as making escaping-gas sounds to intimidate the Amsterdammers, the Ajax fans have actually taken "Jews! Jews!" up as a battle cry, cheering their own team on with it and waving Israeli flags in the stadiums.

At which point I need to remind you that there are hardly any actual Jews left in this country. It's the strangest thing. Only in a country where the word that describes such a process - "geuzennaam" - refers to how early Protestants here were jeered as "Geuzen", but took on that label as battle cry in a sense of pride that would eventually culminate in their success to achieve Dutch Independence, huh.