# The President Elimination Game **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 24, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317 "2009-09-24T01:36:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**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:** [November 8, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/401 "2009-11-08T03:50:52Z")
Yeah, if as cynical and anti-politician a guy as Mark Twain said nice things about Arthur, that speaks volumes for me. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/402 "2009-11-08T03:56:05Z")
Grandpappy’s hat fits Ben – and so does the boot, to kick him off the list next. 🙂 Harrison to go, please. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/403 "2009-11-08T13:09:31Z")
Joining the Van Buren pile-on. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/404 "2009-11-08T23:32:39Z")
Van Buren. I didn’t even know he existed before this thread, so naturally I abhor him for shame facing me. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/405 "2009-11-09T05:00:32Z")
Wilson, a total bigot. Who did NOT keep us out of war. Whatta jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Cullain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cullain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cullain)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/406 "2009-11-09T05:02:03Z")
Van Buren - I blame Gore Vidal for forcing me into this pick. ---
**Author:** ![Makeitstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/407 "2009-11-09T14:08:27Z")
Zachary Taylor again. Seriously, this guy had no real accomplishments as president(not that that makes him any different from other presidents…). But he was still in office for barely more than a year. IMHO, he shouldn’t be in the running at this point in the game. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/408 "2009-11-09T15:43:34Z")
Wilson ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/409 "2009-11-09T17:32:47Z")
Is that a wrap, do we have enough votes? I (and others here) would likely appreciate a voting rundown for each round-if Van Buren loses, I’d like to see by how much. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/410 "2009-11-09T17:44:29Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Is that a wrap, do we have enough votes? > > I (and others here) would likely appreciate a voting rundown for each round-if Van Buren loses, I’d like to see by how much. Voting is open until 2 PM Central (unless someone else feels like launching a coup, in which case feel free). I’m thinking maybe just setting a schedule of Monday and Thursday afternoons, 2 PM, and skipping the whole “x business days” thing. And sure, I’ll include a vote wrap-up from now on. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/411 "2009-11-09T20:01:12Z")
Results: Martin Van Buren 9 Woodrow Wilson 6 Chester Arthur 3 Benjamin Harrison 2 James Monroe, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George HW Bush, Zachary Taylor 1 each. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/412 "2009-11-09T20:05:46Z")
Continuing the mid-19th-century dominance of the rankings, Martin Van Buren is sent packing. George Washington (None, 1789-1797) John Adams (Federalist, 1797-1801) Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican, 1801-1809) James Monroe (Democratic-Republican, 1817-1825) John Quincy Adams (Democratic-Republican, 1825-1829) James Polk (Democrat, 1845-1849) Zachary Taylor (Whig, 1849-1850) Abraham Lincoln (Republican, 1861-1865) Chester Arthur (Republican, 1881-1885) Grover Cleveland (Democrat, 1885-1889, 1893-1897) Benjamin Harrison (Republican, 1889-1893) William McKinley (Republican, 1897-1901) Theodore Roosevelt (Republican, 1901-1909) William Howard Taft (Republican, 1909-1913) Woodrow Wilson (Democrat, 1913-1921) Calvin Coolidge (Republican, 1923-1929) Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat, 1933-1945) Henry Truman (Democrat, 1945-1953) Dwight Eisenhower (Republican, 1953-1961) John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Democrat, 1961-1963) Lyndon Baines Johnson (Democrat, 1963-1969) Gerald Ford (Republican, 1974-1977) George Herbert Walker Bush (Republican, 1989-1993) William Jefferson Clinton (Democrat, 1993-2001) Eliminated Presidents: 1. James Buchanan (Democrat, 1857-1861) 2. Franklin Pierce (Democrat, 1853-1857) 3. Andrew Johnson (National Union, 1865-1869) 4. Warren Harding (Republican, 1921-1923) 5. Millard Fillmore (Whig, 1850-1853) 6. Richard Milhous Nixon (Republican, 1969-1974) 7. Herbert Hoover (Republican, 1929-1933) 8. Ronald Reagan (Republican, 1981-1989) 9. Andrew Jackson (Democrat, 1829-1837) 10. Rutherford Hayes (Republican, 1877-1881) 11. Ulysses Grant (Republican, 1869-1877) 12. John Tyler (Whig, 1841-1845) 13. James Earl Carter (Democrat, 1977-1981) 14. James Madison (Democratic-Republican, 1809-1817) 15. Martin Van Buren (Democrat, 1837-1841) Wilson again, though I wouldn’t be heartbroken to see Adams or any of several one-term mediocrities shown the door. I’m surprised no one has voted for Gerald Ford yet. Voting will close on Thursday at 2 PM. I think I’m just going to move to a Thursday and Monday schedule for the rest of the contest. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/413 "2009-11-09T20:09:12Z")
John Adams Sr. Great patriot or no, when you blatantly violate the cardinal principles of the nation, you suck as a president. Get him the hell out of here, and take that damn miniseries with him. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/414 "2009-11-09T20:11:03Z")
And anyone voting for Chet, please post some reasoning. If it just comes down to him acceding from the Vice Presidency after being a rumoured Canadian, that’s pretty weak. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/415 "2009-11-09T20:32:45Z")
Jefferson again, for the reasons I gave before. A brilliant man but a highly overrated President, whose biggest accomplishment, the Louisiana Purchase, was blatantly hypocritical. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/416 "2009-11-09T22:06:27Z")
What was he doing voting against a ghost? From [this admittedly non-scholarly source](http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/sandre/Presidents/Arthur.htm): > [@](#): > > In 1884 Arthur lost more political support by vetoing a rivers-and-harbors apparition. Seriously, I believe in considering each man’s entire career, not just his time in the White House. Thus, I didn’t vote for (against) Madison, and won’t join the opposition to John Adams as long as Chet is still around. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/417 "2009-11-09T22:21:50Z")
More to the point, **Sternvogel** , from the source you cited: > [@](#): > > President Chester A. Arthur was a great president, well to my understanding . So THERE! And I _really_ didn’t think I’d ever be defending Chester Arthur on the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/418 "2009-11-09T22:29:23Z")
I’m gonna take a chance here… Grover “The Rover” Cleveland ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/419 "2009-11-09T22:43:45Z")
You know what? I’m going to go out on a limb and nominate a president who: - served less than one term - authorized the covert invasion of a sovereign nation without declaration of war (which by the way was a disaster) - escalated the Cold War - ramped up our involvement in Vietnam and authorized the use of free-fire zones and napalm, laying the groundwork for the deployment of US forces - backed a coup in Iraq - infringed on civil liberties and allowed the FBI to wiretap private individuals Sure he did some good things like the Peace Corp, and inspired the moon landings. But I’m abandoning Chet Arther and casting my vote for John F. Kennedy. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/420 "2009-11-09T23:27:51Z")
> [@stuthehistoryguy](#): > > There is no higher value in the American spirit than freedom of speech. Through the cold war and the war on terror, we have always held dear that, while those who reviled our government were allowed to do so unmolested, the dissidents in the nations aligned against us were thrown in prison for speaking out against injustice. To jail an American for dissent is the closest thing to blasphemy one can imagine in American civil society. > > [John Adams](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts). Get him out of here. That really moved me. Great work. I vote for John Adams. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317.md?page=22)