During an interview on Sirius XM’s “The Arena” Tuesday, Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush said that the Washington Redskins organization does not need to change its name.
“I don’t think they should change it, but again, I don’t think politicians should have any say on that stuff, to be honest with you,” stated Bush. “I don’t find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don’t find it offensive. We had a similar flap with FSU if you recall, and the Seminole tribe itself came to the defense of the university and it subsided. It’s a sport for crying out loud.”
Though Bush was likely trying to point out that politicians have larger responsibilities than regulating what sports teams are allowed to call themselves, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released a statement following his interview:
Jeb Bush’s support of the Washington football team’s name and mascot is extremely insulting to Native American people and is one of many reasons he will not earn the Native American vote. The team’s name is a racial slur that perpetuates negative stereotypes of Native American people, and reduces proud cultures to an insulting caricature.
Over the past few weeks, Jeb Bush has shown a shocking disregard for America’s diverse society. First, during an exchange about immigration from Latin America, he slurred American children born in this country to immigrants. Then, he clarified that the offensive term he used was, ‘frankly, more related to Asian people.’ Last week, he insulted African-Americans, implying that they only voted for Democrats because of ‘free stuff,’ and also said America should not have a multicultural society. So much for the Republican Party’s plan to appeal to minorities.
It should be noted that Bush’s super PAC, “Right to Rise,” received a $100,000 contribution from Redskins owner Dan Snyder over the summer. (RELATED: NFL, MLB Owners Shell Out Huge Donations To Jeb Bush)
[h/t: Complex]