Groupon Offers President's Day Deal In Honor Of 'President Hamilton'
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In what is either a promotional gimmick or massive historical lapse, Groupon is offering a President Day deal in honor of "President Alexander Hamilton."
If there was a Mt. Rushmore for White House Cabinet members, one could argue that Alexander Hamilton would be on it.
Hamilton was a Founding Father, Treasury Secretary and top White House aide to George Washington. (He also died rather dramatically, in a duel with Aaron Burr.)
Of course, there is only a Mt. Rushmore for presidents, and Hamilton was never president.
In a news release, Chicago-based Groupon said it was "kicking off Presidents Day weekend by giving customers 10 dollars off 40 dollars when they purchase a deal for any local business. The $10 bill, as everyone knows, features President Alexander Hamilton--undeniably one of our greatest presidents."
Groupon got the $10 bill part right.
History buffs took to Twitter to take Groupon to task for the mistake.
While there has been no official comment from the company, its tweets on the subject seem to indicate that they knew what they were doing.
There was this imitation Time Magazine cover, with the subheading referencing Hamilton as "redefining the presidency."
And, then there was this exchange about how saving $10 is no laughing matter.
There is a President Hamilton Twitter account, which includes a link back to details about the Groupon deal.
