I Have a Question

Why is there a guitar on their convention posters?



I have another question. Why is it bigger than an elephant? And, number three: why is the elephant trampling it?

I just found an answer to the first.

Pairing the elephant and the guitar in the RNC's 41st nominating convention logo was inspired by Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the logo was designed by Falls Communications, a public relations firm in the city.

  Bustle

In other words, Cleveland isn't known for much (notwithstanding Drew Cary's sitcom "Cleveland Rocks", which didn't make it look real swank), and the old burning Cuyahoga River has been cleaned up, so nobody recognizes that any more.

These questions led me to another:  how did they choose Cleveland for the convention location?

Officials on the party’s site selection committee voted [...] to choose Cleveland over Dallas, the other finalist.

  WAPo

Think of what they could have done with Dallas after the police shootings. They must be kicking themselves.

Cleveland convention and tourism officials saw the convention as an opportunity to overcome its reputation as the “Mistake by the Lake.”

Of course, the alternative is that it could actually entrench it.

The politics of holding a convention in a critical swing state — no Republican president since Calvin Coolidge has won the White House without carrying Ohio — look good, but sources said it was less a factor than the city’s ability to raise money and put on a good show.

Are we talking about Cleveland that's in Ohio?  Besides, it's the Donald Trump Show, not the Cleveland Show.

Republicans have lost the last five states in which they held political conventions, dating back to 1996.

Ow.  Maybe it's not the city.  Maybe it's the show.