Meanwhile, Over In Colfax, NC...

...a blacksmith hammers out "mule hooks."

From his cinder block blacksmith’s shop, Don Dillon hammers a red-hot iron bar into the shape of a comically exaggerated mule – his nose jutting out like a mailbox , his ears bent and waving like a bug’s antennae.

In a week’s time, Dillon can turn out 40 of these decorative beasts, each one fitted with a hook at the bottom that’s perfect for hanging a hat.

But mostly, Dillon would like all Democrats to notice that mules are practically donkeys and that North Carolina will be crawling with donkeys come Sept. 4, and a custom-made donkey hook might make a dandy convention souvenir.

For some reason, he can't sell elephant hooks:

You might have seen Dillon demonstrating at the State Fair. He used to make lamps. Then the furniture factory shut down. So now he makes mule hooks – mixing humor and politics with lop-eared metal.

One version comes equipped with a crank, which Dillon calls a wind-up key for a liberal Democrat. You’re supposed to insert the mule end where the sun doesn’t shine. Another serves as a toilet-paper holder. Another hook combines the ears of a mule with a pachyderm’s trunk.

“This is a donkey-phant,” Dillon explained. “That’s for the undecided voter, the split-ticket man, the quiet man that don’t make a lot of racket. I made a few elephant hooks, but couldn’t sell any of them.”

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You can buy his mule hooks, should you want one, for $25, click the link for his address.