Buckle Your Seat Belts Because Political Duels May Be Making A Comeback
NY Post- The Oregon Legislature may have an unusual request for voters in the next general election that harkens back to that fateful summer day in 1804 when a bitter rivalry between US Vice President Aaron Burr and the nation’s first treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, was settled with a fatal gunshot. Should ongoing discussions in Salem materialize, voters would see a question on their general-election ballots asking if a 172-year-old ban on dueling by public officials — as in, the old-fashioned way of resolving fights — should be erased from the Oregon Constitution.
I will be prefacing this blog with a reminder of how underrated it is that someone of Alexander Hamilton’s stature was killed in a fucking duel. It may have happened 213 years ago, but that shit would be discussed at least once every Monday and alternating Wednesdays. A founding father of the United States, the guy that’s pretty much responsible for creating the bank, and the inspiration for (I guess) one of the greatest broadway place of all-time was murdered in a duel. Alexander fucking HAMILTON had to shake Aaron Burr’s hand, walk 10 steps the opposite way, turn around, and be ready for gunfire in which will result in one’s death. It’s easier to wrap my head around how Emily Ratajkowski’s boyfriend courted her. That’s a fucking iconic duel only to possibly be trumped by the duel of White Goodman and Peter La Fleur.
Can you imagine the ratings a televised Trump v. Hillary duel would have done? It more than most likely would have been the highest rated TV of all-time thanks to the potential death of the Ratings Machine, DJT. A boatload of advertising money, weapons of their choice, in a huge arena in a swing state like Ohio Stadium. May the best man win.
It’s hard to root for something more than you one can for the comeback of political duels as it would simply be the first domino to fall in our eventual return to the wild west lifestyle. You want to steal some dude’s girlfriend? Go right ahead-a duel will be the decide who wins the love. Someone takes your seat on the subway? Uh-oh, time to duel. It’s a near guarantee that my career duel record would be 0-1 with 1 death, but I couldn’t be more ready to give a whirl.