# The President Elimination Game

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317>\
**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:** 47

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/921 "2009-12-24T23:05:38Z")

</div>

I’ll vote for Grover the Rover again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 27, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/922 "2009-12-27T19:36:11Z")

</div>

Bump-so is the game on hold for the holidays or something?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 27, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/923 "2009-12-27T20:26:19Z")

</div>

I give a vote to Jefferson.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/924 "2009-12-28T00:20:23Z")

</div>

Here’s the order of elimination I’ll vote for:

Cleveland  
Monroe  
Jefferson  
Eisenhower  
Truman  
T. Roosevelt  
Polk  
F.D. Roosevelt  
Washington  
Lincoln

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/925 "2009-12-28T01:10:48Z")

</div>

> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> Bump-so is the game on hold for the holidays or something?

No votes compiled on Christmas Day or New Year’s, at least by me. If someone else feels like doing it, I have no objection.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/926 "2009-12-28T01:43:48Z")

</div>

Monroe.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CyclopticXander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@CyclopticXander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyclopticXander)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/927 "2009-12-28T05:00:14Z")

</div>

I’m returning from my hiatus to add my vote against Cleveland, who’s only positive point in my mind is that an even lesser president was wedged between his disappointing terms.

I must say that this top ten list is certainly interesting. It’s part traditional and part baffling. Cleveland, Polk, and Monroe are really top ten material according to The Dope? I’ll chalk it up to the process.

I’m pretty sure who the number one and two spots will be, but the rest will be fun. Bring on the home stretch!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/928 "2009-12-28T14:32:52Z")

</div>

Morning Vote Count:  
Monroe 9  
Cleveland 7  
Jefferson 1

Voting closes at 2 PM.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/929 "2009-12-28T15:05:50Z")

</div>

Another vote for Cleveland (alas, consecutive).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/930 "2009-12-28T15:12:53Z")

</div>

> [@CyclopticXander](#):
>
> I’m pretty sure who the number one and two spots will be, but the rest will be fun. Bring on the home stretch!

I’m not at all sure which of Washington or Lincoln will end up at #1, but I’ll be shocked if anyone but FDR is #3.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/931 "2009-12-28T15:18:48Z")

</div>

Agreed, although his older cousin could give him a run for his money, IMHO.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/932 "2009-12-28T15:22:21Z")

</div>

> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#):
>
> Agreed, although his older cousin could give him a run for his money, IMHO.

I have Teddy ranked below the two post-WWII presidents on my list.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/933 "2009-12-28T15:36:23Z")

</div>

It’s a tough one. I like them each for different reasons. Each was the right man at the right time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/934 "2009-12-28T16:06:06Z")

</div>

> [@Tom\_Scud](#):
>
> I’m not at all sure which of Washington or Lincoln will end up at #1, but I’ll be shocked if anyone but FDR is #3.

Well FDR’s accomplishments to me were less than TRs. Theodore thrust the US into world politics in a big way. He made us a real power to be considered by the major states. He ensured the Navy would be built up and established most of the bases we would end up needing in WWII 40 years earlier. He suspected someday we might be defending ourselves from the Japanese Navy. He negotiated the end of one war and avoided another with Germany over Venezuela.

FDR’s policies were hit or miss. They helped a lot but were not perfect. His handling of WWII was excellent once the Japanese obliged in Pearl Harbor but he did not exactly succeed in getting the country committed earlier or really get the buildup going in earnest.

Both were great presidents, I just think TR was the greater.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/935 "2009-12-28T17:03:41Z")

</div>

Polk! Again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/936 "2009-12-28T20:01:16Z")

</div>

Vote Count:  
Monroe 9  
Cleveland 8  
Jefferson, Polk 1

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [December 28, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/937 "2009-12-28T20:03:09Z")

</div>

Monroe is out, and now there are nine:

George Washington (None, 1789-1797)  
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican, 1801-1809)  
James Polk (Democrat, 1845-1849)  
Abraham Lincoln (Republican, 1861-1865)  
Grover Cleveland (Democrat, 1885-1889, 1893-1897)  
Theodore Roosevelt (Republican, 1901-1909)  
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat, 1933-1945)  
Harry S. Truman (Democrat, 1945-1953)  
Dwight Eisenhower (Republican, 1953-1961)

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)
16. Woodrow Wilson (Democrat, 1913-1921)
17. Calvin Coolidge (Republican, 1923-1929)
18. John Adams (Federalist, 1797-1801)
19. Benjamin Harrison (Republican, 1889-1893)
20. Gerald Ford (Republican, 1974-1977)
21. Zachary Taylor (Whig, 1849-1850)
22. George Herbert Walker Bush (Republican, 1989-1993)
23. John Quincy Adams (Democratic-Republican, 1825-1829)
24. Chester Arthur (Republican, 1881-1885)
25. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Democrat, 1961-1963)
26. William McKinley (Republican, 1897-1901)
27. William Howard Taft (Republican, 1909-1913)
28. Lyndon Baines Johnson (Democrat, 1963-1969)
29. William Jefferson Clinton (Democrat, 1993-2001)
30. James Monroe (Democratic-Republican, 1817-1825)

I’ll vote for Thomas Jefferson at this point.

Voting closes Wednesday at 2 PM.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/938 "2009-12-28T20:20:13Z")

</div>

Grover Cleveland.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/939 "2009-12-28T20:40:58Z")

</div>

Although I wouldn’t mind owning [one of these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1000-2f.jpg).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CyclopticXander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@CyclopticXander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyclopticXander)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/940 "2009-12-28T20:47:14Z")

</div>

Having it come down to a single vote there was pretty exciting. This round is going to be pretty easy though, it’s finally Cleveland’s time!

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317.md?page=46)

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317.md?page=48)
