Greatest living American elimination game (game thread)

Thread Games
1

Background: Greatest living American elimination game (setup thread)

Vote for one person each round whom you think is least worthy to be called the greatest living American, and thus should be eliminated from the game. You need not have participated in the setup thread to vote. Thoughtful discussion and civil debate are welcome. No horse-trading, please - each vote should be on the merits.

Voting in our first round will end at noon EST on Weds. June 18.

Our nominees:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Athlete, writer, activist
Buzz Aldrin: Second on Moon
José Andrés: Humanitarian, chef
Joe Biden: President, uniter, overcomer
Simon Biles: GOAT gymnast
Judy Blume: Children’s literature icon
Warren Buffett: Level-headed billionaire
Bob Dylan: Poet of generation
Anthony Fauci: Physician, immunologist, scientist
Craig Ferguson: Polymath, director-writer, comedian
Jim Gaffigan: Comedian, author, commentator
Bill Gates: Futurist, philanthropist, billionaire
Amanda Gorman: Poet, activist, prodigy
Jesse Jackson: Civil rights leader
Magic Johnson: Superstar, survivor, inspiration
Mark Kelly: Senator, astronaut, aviator
Stephen King: Great American writer
Spike Lee: Filmmaker, Knicks fan
Jim Lovell: Apollo 13 astronaut
Amory Lovins: Physicist, energy activist
Barack Obama: President, statesman, lawyer
Dolly Parton: Artist, humanitarian
Mitt Romney: Senator, impeachment juror
Bernie Sanders: Democratic Socialist leader
MacKenzie Scott: Philanthropist, prize-winning novelist
Steven Spielberg: Director, writer, entertainer
Bruce Springsteen: Singer, songwriter, activist
Taylor Swift: Musician, songwriter, icon
Tim Walz: Honorable political messenger
Elizabeth Warren: Fighting political foes
Janet Yellen: Economist, Treasury secretary

My vote is for José Andrés, unknown to me before now.

2

Another vote for José Andrés, for the exact same reason.

3

Just FYI, Jim Lovell is most notable for Apollo 8, not 13.

4

Most people know him for Apollo 13, and the movie, I think.

5

Craig Ferguson

6

Janet Yellen, she does very little for me.

7

Mitt Romney, a failed presidential campaign and then some token resistance (once it was clear he wasn’t going to get a post in the first administration) does not make anybody “great”.

8

Bruce Springsteen

Are we required to explain why we think our choice isn’t great?

9

I’ll admit that I don’t quite get why personally not knowing of someone is evidence of lack of greatness. Especially when compared to mediocre comedians and talk show hosts.

Craig Ferguson for me.

10

Jim Gaffigan

11

I didn’t even know Craig Ferguson was American.

As I look through the list, I look at some names and think “I wouldn’t vote for them, but I can see why someone would.” But as much as I love Jim Gaffigan, I wouldn’t put him anywhere close to Greatest Living American. So my vote is Jim Gaffigan.

12

A few of these people I haven’t heard of, but, although I find Jim Gaffigan somewhat amusing, I agree that he’s over his head in this discussion.

13

Another for José Andrés.

14

Another vote for Jim Gaffigan. There are a lot of comedians who are more noteworthy - Jon Stewart immediately pops into my head.

15

As I wrote in the OP, “Thoughtful discussion and civil debate are welcome. No horse-trading, please - each vote should be on the merits.”

16

Jim Gaffigan

If somebody passes away mid thread, do we have a double elimination?

17

My vote this round goes to Gaffigan.

18

Yes, if somebody dies while the game is underway, I will remove him or her from the list, as that person would no longer be living.

19

Another vote for Gaffigan. Nothing wrong about him but I don’t see a entertainer as a potential greatest living American.

20

I’d say Gaffigan. And I love the guy to death, really. I’ve seen him live a couple of times–if he comes to town, going to the show with my younger daughter is pretty much automatic. But I’d be hard-pressed to say there are any criteria that would qualify him for “greatest.” I doubt that he himself aspires to something that high.