OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia is infuriating liberals by supporting the Atlanta Braves in keeping their name.
“The Braves are the Braves,” Kemp said. “They need to keep chopping.”
Politically correct leftists have argued that the Braves should change their name for being allegedly offensive to Native Americans.
Kemp’s comments came during an interview on Fox News. For decades, Braves fans have performed a tomahawk chop with their arms while chanting a battle cry.
Joe Biden recently met with players on the Braves after they won the MBL World Series, but Biden made no mention of the controversy.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters “we believe it’s important to have this conversation.”
“Native American and Indigenous voices, they should be at the center of the conversation,” she added.
More from Fox News:
Kemp took aim at the Biden administration, charging that “for them [the Braves] to be celebrated at the White House yesterday and then the president’s administration talk about changing the name is ridiculous. The Braves have a great rapport with the Native Indian community in the state. They’ve actually been in the governor’s office. We’ve met with them before….we don’t need the cancel culture that this White House has had.”
The governor also criticized Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams over the controversy, claiming that “they’re eally just trying to mislead and divide people up in Washington unfortunately and my opponent Stacey Abrams has been right there with them, even though she won’t take a position on what the Braves’ name should be. But I will. I think it should be the Braves. Let’s go Braves. Keep chopping. Let’s get two in a row.”
Asked for a response, Abrams campaign spokesperson Alex Floyd told Fox News that “Abrams is thrilled to cheer on the Braves and is rooting for the team’s success as they work to bring home another title to Georgia. Unfortunately, it’s become clear that rather than just cheering on the Braves, Republicans are engaging in bad faith attacks to distract from the fact they haven’t brought down health care costs, fully funded public education, or provided immediate tax cuts for hardworking families. Stacey Abrams will go to bat for all Georgians — on and off the field.”
Abrams, a former state Democratic legislative leader and voting rights champion who’s a Democratic Party rising star, narrowly lost to Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election. While Abrams enjoys a large fundraising lead over Kemp with six weeks to go until the November election, the governor holds a 6.6-point lead over the Democratic nominee in an average of the most recent public opinion polls that was compiled by Real Clear Politics.