Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush feels so strongly about the Washington Redskins team name that he’s incorporated his support for it into his stump speech.
As the Washington Post reported Thursday, the former Florida governor told attendees at a New Hampshire town hall that the “Washington” half of the name was the only offensive part.
“If they’re going to change their name, I don’t know what you’d call it,” Bush said, according to the Post. “North Virginia Redskins or something like that.”
Bush first introduced this suggestion on a visit to radio host Hugh Hewitt’s show last week, when he said the chaos over the succession for House speaker showed that “Washington is a pejorative term, not the Redskins.”
Bush told the crowd in New Hampshire he sees the uproar over the name as an example of excessive political correctness.
“If that’s what they want, leave them alone, for crying out loud,” he said, via the Post. “Let’s worry about the complicated nature of our regulations and taxes and other things.”
Bush insisted in a September interview that Native American tribes “generally don’t find it offensive,” though the Oneida tribe has carried out a “Change the Mascot” campaign targeting the team since 2013.
Outreach, it never stops!
He is the most dangerous because he denies his vaguely polite extremism, and ignorance, and covers them up pretty well - some of the time.
A quick google search shows a number of polls/studies that show the majority of Native Americans consider the term an offensive slur. One study showed 67%, with 12% neutral. Where is he getting this idea that NAs do not find this offensive?
Hey, JEBALICIOUS! How about the “North Virginia Honkies”? That rolls off of the tongue rather well, doesn’t it?
Let me tell y’all a story to prove I’m not a Washington insider. Daddy and Lil Bro never had me there once ceptin’ to have me watch a Redskins game against the (sorry, scuse me…what’s another team name? Ah, thanks) against the Cowpokes. The Cowpokes whupped the Redskins good just like the good ol’ days.