Democrats unveil new logo, website

In what was billed as a “major announcement,” the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday unveiled not a new policy platform, but a new logo -- one with a familiar ring.

It is the first rebranding effort by the party since Bill Clinton was president, officials say, and is meant to deemphasize the traditional notion of the party organization as a Washington-based collection of gray-beards and instead represent a national coalition making “change that matters.”

Along with the logo is a redesigned website, which the party calls “a home for powerful tools that will empower Democrats across the country to connect with one another and with the party.”

“This new identity for our party captures the spirit that unites us all. Democrats -- all of us -- are working for the change that matters,” DNC Chairman Tim Kaine wrote in a blog post announcing the change.

The emphasis of the letter “D” in the logo evokes what has become a regular feature of President Obama’s campaign speeches of late. After arguing that Republicans drove the nation into a ditch, Obama says that to move forward, you put the car in “D,” but to reverse you put it in “R.”

The logo also has a circular shape that resembles Obama’s campaign logo, as does the color scheme. Gone is the American flag and the familiar donkey.

Any rebranding effort, particularly one so close to an election, risks criticism. Kaine was mocked during a recent visit to the liberal-friendly “Daily Show” set for handing host Jon Stewart a keychain meant to fit into the Obama car analogy.

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