The 2016 election cycle has been contentious, divisive, and at times unsettling. Impassioned candidates vie for support by launching attack after attack, only to achieve historically low favorability ratings and an American populace unsure of the nation's future.

One candidate in particular, Donald Trump, is creating discord between politicians and voters alike, and a rift has developed within the Republican Party over how to support a candidate that demonstrates blatantly vulgar, discriminatory, careless, and unsound behaviors. As the Republican nominee for president, Trump becomes a figurehead tasked with representing Republican ideals and cornerstones, including the GOP logo: a red, white, and blue elephant. This logo, associated with the Republican party towards the end of the 19th century, was adopted to promote an image of strength and dignity; traits that are no longer hallmarks of the party's current leader. Donald Trump and the party he collaborates with do not maintain the characteristics of the elephant they utilize as a logo, and with many demonstrative examples of a party working instead to promote weak, disillusioned policies that go against the will of the country, it is hereby requested that the GOP remove the elephant from its logo.

The following list outlines four arguments for the removal of the elephant from the Republican Party logo:

1. African and Asian elephants alike are becoming increasingly susceptible to global climate change, with depleting freshwater reserves, declining health due to rising temperatures, and a shrinking supply of vegetation causing the once-resilient mammals to be further threatened. The Republican Party touts itself as being strong and dignified by using the elephant as a logo, and yet the broad consensus among current and potential Republican lawmakers is that climate change is either trivial, largely a hoax, or nonexistent altogether. This attitude puts the elephant used as the party emblem at risk, for any policy changes that could benefit global environmental conditions are often rejected by GOP politicians. Elephants already face a variety of man-made threats, so to preserve their lasting presence on the planet it will be important to end their misrepresentation on a logo. Therefore, it is requested that this once-resilient party removes the animals they refuse to help from their logo.                                                              Further reading: http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/african-elephants-and-climate-change--2
2. Elephants are emotional creatures capable of showing compassion and altruism, working together to help other elephant herds and other species entirely. They experience grief similar to humans, mourn tragedies and pain, and will go out of their way to help individuals in need. Whether a mother that has lost a calf, a young rhino stuck in the mud, or a long lost family member, elephants rally together to ensure the strength of every individual, no matter how weak or different. Republicans in recent years have failed to show these characteristics in politics, which has culminated in a presidential nominee seeking to make personals gains out of tragedies and the pain of others. Donald Trump has picked fun of war veterans and the disabled, sought recognition for predicting a violent nightclub massacre, and yearns only to expand his own influence while condemning those who do not share his views. As Republicans rally around this self-centered candidate that fails to respect those who have lost lives, those who need the most help, and those who make the most sacrifices, it is requested that the GOP remove the compassionate, teamworking, selfless elephant from their logo.                                                                    Further reading: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/unforgettable-elephants-elephant-emotions/5886/
3. The elephant is regarded worldwide as a dignified creature, and given its large size and complex range of behaviors, it is obvious why the elephant is a sacred animal in many different cultures and societies. Elephants have a deep sense of connection and togetherness with their fellow family members, and they act in the best interest of the group. Dignity is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a way of appearing or behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control". Republican rhetoric has long disregarded this seriousness and self-control, with Donald Trump and others making claims that obscenely expensive walls and implausible plans of restricting the mobility of people based on religion will solve complicated foreign and domestic problems. Any trace of seriousness has been abandoned as the party instead chooses to advocate getting rid of national parks and public lands, approving LGBT conversion therapy, and the use of "clean" coal energy. A staunchly unintelligent agenda filled with distasteful and offensive language in no way leads to a description of seriousness and self-control, and has no place being represented by the elephant. The GOP platform ignores science and public opinion alike, and this demonstration of disconnected policy acting mostly in the interest of lawmakers alone is further reason to request the removal of the elephant from the Republican Party logo. Further reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/us/politics/republican-convention-issues.html?_r=0
4. The elephant has a remarkably sound memory, with some studies claiming that elephants never forget key information. Remembering the past is critical for ensuring survival in the future, and when confronted with challenges such as droughts or severe weather, matriarchs of a herd utilize past experiences to guide the elephants to safer locations. This ability to recall memories and make important decisions to support a herd is a trait that many Republicans have seemingly failed to remember, as current policy battles do not reflect the ability to learn from the past events. Trump's choice for vice president advocated for the creation of more Gulf of Mexico undersea oil rigs just after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that devastated the region. The GOP cherishes the legacy of Ronald Reagan, while forgetting that the Republican Party of the past supported environmental preservation under T. Roosevelt, education funding and antitrust legislation under B. Harrison, and civil rights for African Americans and Native Americans under C. Coolidge. The Republican Party had been the party of progress until the mid-20th century, where it lost sense of the past and began fighting for a platform that reflected long-dismissed ideas that would set back societal growth. Given this lack of willingness to utilize a past of positive leadership and instead act with stubbornness that compromises the nation's ability to handle future challenges, the party bears no resemblance to the perceptive and insightful elephant it uses as an ill-fitting symbol. Hence, it is requested that the Republican Party removes the elephant from its logo. Further reading: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elephants-never-forget/

The 2016 election has highlighted over and over again that the Republican Party no longer commits itself to demonstrating strength and dignity in the face of foreign and domestic issues of interest, and the American population has been left subject to watching a party bicker, attack, and argue about solutions that bear no forward-thinking substance. The elephant is a creature that, in the face of natural and man-made perils, retains its stoic and intelligent character. It inspires and draws awe from those who encounter it; a very different interaction when compared to the overwhelmingly negative perception of the GOP. Americans demand a government that reflects their interests, a government that seeks unity instead of disparity, and a government that tells the truth. There is no better way to make this point than through visuals, so with public support it is asked that the elephant be removed from the Republican Party logo so to reflect the party's true identity.