# Greatest American elimination game (game thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 10, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423 "2010-02-10T15:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/362 "2010-03-03T05:22:22Z")
Susan B. Anthony John Franklin Enders Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Earl Warren Roger Williams ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/363 "2010-03-03T13:27:39Z")
Your morning standings update (through Justin Credible’s votes): 1 Walt Whitman 8 2 Jonas Salk 7 3 Henry David Thoreau 6 3 George Washington Carver 6 3 John Franklin Enders 6 Daniel Webster 5 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 5 Dwight D. Eisenhower 4 Orville and Wilbur Wright 4 Thomas Edison 4 Earl Warren 3 Roger Williams 3 Susan B. Anthony 3 Frederick Douglass 2 James Madison 2 John Marshall 2 Thomas Paine 2 Jackie Robinson 2 George Marshall Theodore Roosevelt Harriet Tubman ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/364 "2010-03-03T14:18:48Z")
George Washington Carver John Franklin Enders Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Earl Warren Daniel Webster ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/365 "2010-03-03T17:06:16Z")
And as it is now 12 EST, the final standings for this round: 1 Walt Whitman 8 2 Jonas Salk 7 2 George Washington Carver 7 2 John Franklin Enders 7 5 Henry David Thoreau 6 5 Daniel Webster 6 5 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 6 Dwight D. Eisenhower 4 Orville and Wilbur Wright 4 Thomas Edison 4 Earl Warren 4 Roger Williams 3 Susan B. Anthony 3 Frederick Douglass 2 James Madison 2 John Marshall 2 Thomas Paine 2 Jackie Robinson 2 George Marshall Theodore Roosevelt Harriet Tubman Whitman is the last of my nominees to go by the wayside. Serves me right for waiting until late in the day to make them. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/366 "2010-03-03T18:06:00Z")
Surprising that both vaccine pioneers bit the dust, but I admit I’m glad to see the Wright Brothers still in this thing. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/367 "2010-03-03T19:22:33Z")
Likewise, **MsWhatsit** , and thanks again, **Tom Scud**. Whitman through Holmes are now gone. As the eighth round begins, that leaves us with some very big names: Susan B. Anthony: Suffrage activist Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist, orator Thomas Edison: Inventor, workaholic Dwight D. Eisenhower: President, war hero Benjamin Franklin: Scientist, statesman, inventor Martin Luther King Jr.: Preacher, orator, humanitarian Abraham Lincoln: President, emancipator, writer James Madison: President, Framer, statesman George Marshall: General, diplomat, statesman John Marshall: Fourth Chief Justice Thomas Paine: Political theorist, pamphleteer Jackie Robinson: Athlete, activist, inspiration Franklin D. Roosevelt: President, reformer, statesman Theodore Roosevelt: President, conservationist, statesman Harriet Tubman: Civil rights advocate Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens): Humorist, “Huckleberry Finn” Earl Warren: Chief Justice, governor George Washington: President, general, statesman Roger Williams: Statesman, religious leader Orville and Wilbur Wright: Aviation pioneers, inventors Still five votes each, and no more than one against any individual. The next round will conclude at noon EST on Fri. March 5. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/368 "2010-03-03T20:15:36Z")
Dwight D. Eisenhower George Marshall Thomas Paine Harriet Tubman Earl Warren ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/369 "2010-03-03T20:33:49Z")
Dwight D. Eisenhower James Madison Thomas Paine Jackie Robinson Orville and Wilbur Wright Big ow. It came down to Robinson or Earl Warren for the last spot and ultimately I had to keep the man who decided _Brown vs. the Board of Education_. I’d also like to apply for a further slackening of the pace after this round - we’re already down to a top 20; we’ll be down to 15 at most after this. Paring off a third of those in a single vote seems excessive. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/370 "2010-03-03T20:42:01Z")
Here goes my Marshall Plan: Dwight D. Eisenhower George Marshall John Marshall Harriet Tubman Earl Warren ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/371 "2010-03-03T21:04:34Z")
Jackie Robinson Harriet Tubman Roger Williams Mark Twain Susan B. Anthony Oof. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/372 "2010-03-03T21:10:46Z")
Agree with **Tom Scud** about going to single-elimination rounds after this. Since I can’t cast five votes for Earl Warren (my only pick from the last batch to still be hanging around), I’ll reluctantly include four of the true greats: Frederick Douglass John Marshall Thomas Paine Jackie Robinson Earl Warren ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/373 "2010-03-03T21:25:01Z")
Orville and Wilbur Wright Thomas Edison Roger Williams I will abstain for the last two. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/374 "2010-03-03T21:31:51Z")
George Marshall John Marshall Mark Twain Harriet Tubman Thomas Paine ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/375 "2010-03-03T21:35:08Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > …I’d also like to apply for a further slackening of the pace after this round - we’re already down to a top 20; we’ll be down to 15 at most after this. Paring off a third of those in a single vote seems excessive. Agreed. I was thinking that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/376 "2010-03-04T01:08:04Z")
George Marshall Jackie Robinson Harriet Tubman Mark Twain Walt Whitman ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/377 "2010-03-04T01:22:11Z")
Dwight D. Eisenhower George Marshall John Marshall James Madison Roger Williams ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/378 "2010-03-04T01:46:37Z")
Since I’m not sure if I’m going to be around much tomorrow, a standings update: 1 George Marshall 5 1 Harriet Tubman 5 3 Dwight D. Eisenhower 4 3 John Marshall 4 3 Thomas Paine 4 3 Jackie Robinson 4 Mark Twain 3 Earl Warren 3 Roger Williams 3 James Madison 2 Orville and Wilbur Wright 2 Susan B. Anthony Frederick Douglass Thomas Edison 0 votes for Lincoln, Washington, both Roosevelts, King, and Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/379 "2010-03-04T03:01:24Z")
Orville and Wilbur Wright George Marshall Thomas Paine John Marshall Roger Williams ---
**Author:** ![Stowed\_Bob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stowed_bob/32/3312_2.png) [@Stowed\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stowed_Bob)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/380 "2010-03-04T03:28:31Z")
Orville and Wilbur Wright Dwight D. Eisenhower James Madison Thomas Edison Benjamin Franklin - The father of America’s paranoia thanks to being vocally bigoted about immigrants not of the British isles, especially Germans. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423/381 "2010-03-04T06:01:19Z")
I’ve never heard Franklin _ever_ cited by anti-immigrant yahoos, nor read that he ever was. I just don’t see how you can hold him to blame for that vile strain of American thought. All of the remaining nominees are undeniably important, but still we must narrow the field. My votes: Thomas Edison - a great inventor but a failure as a human being James Madison - vitally important in the establishment of the republic, but had a disastrous Presidency that saw the White House burned Thomas Paine - became a mere polemicist and even slandered George Washington in his (Paine’s) declining years Mark Twain - a great writer, of course, but now it’s time for him to go Roger Williams - yes, important for the principle of religious freedom, but he doesn’t belong in the historical stratosphere with those few who remain on the list [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-american-elimination-game-game-thread/528423.md?page=20)