# 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:** 49
**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 29, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/961 "2009-12-29T14:59:00Z")
6 straight for Jefferson. Could have another early finish tomorrow and get started on the next round if things keep up like this. ETA: To keep things relatively non-arbitrary, I’ll say a full day and a 10-vote lead are what it’ll take to invoke the mercy rule. So by that standard, I jumped the gun a bit this morning, but it seems reasonable going forward. ---
**Author:** ![Cullain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cullain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cullain)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/962 "2009-12-29T15:10:34Z")
Polk. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/963 "2009-12-29T17:07:52Z")
Polk ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/964 "2009-12-29T18:01:56Z")
Wow, we’re down to an elite group. I am going with my gut and say, of these: Ike ---
**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 29, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/965 "2009-12-29T18:19:29Z")
Polk. I guess I take a broader view of a candidate’s overall life and accomplishments than the mere 4-8 (15 for FDR) window in which they were President. I realize that some out there will vehemently disagree with me on this point, but I simply can’t ignore the things Jefferson did before he was actually elected. ---
**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 29, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/966 "2009-12-29T18:45:55Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Polk. I guess I take a broader view of a candidate’s overall life and accomplishments than the mere 4-8 (15 for FDR) window in which they were President. I realize that some out there will vehemently disagree with me on this point, but I simply can’t ignore the things Jefferson did before he was actually elected. If I were taking their non-presidential achievements into account, I would agree with you. But then I would have argued more strongly for keeping Adams, Madison, Grant, and/or Carter around longer. We’re ranking Presidents, so I’m only looking at their achievements while in office. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/967 "2009-12-29T19:09:03Z")
Polk is next on my list. (Side note: ladies, gents, and those for whom a collective noun is not yet in common use, I am the failure of United States education. About 5 years ago, I got the highest possible score on the AP American History test, which let me skip non-theatrical history classes in university. I majored in theatre so those I did take. I can’t tell you a thing about Polk that I haven’t relearned recently from my boyfriend or Wikipedia. This is especially sad as I’ve lived my whole life in the Oregon Territory.) ---
**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 29, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/968 "2009-12-29T19:23:25Z")
Someone tell Leiko that Oregon was granted statehood, then we’ll work on catching her up to at least WWII. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/969 "2009-12-29T19:55:28Z")
Truman. I don’t believe he had to drop the bomb, I certainly don’t believe the second bomb was necessary. Other than fire MacArthur, I don’t know what he did that was so great. ---
**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 29, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/970 "2009-12-29T20:01:19Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Truman. I don’t believe he had to drop the bomb, I certainly don’t believe the second bomb was necessary. Other than fire MacArthur, I don’t know what he did that was so great. There was the Marshall Plan. And in general choosing cold war and containment rather than hot war with the Soviet Union. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/971 "2009-12-29T20:07:06Z")
OK I’ll give him the Marshall plan. Enough to make me change my vote this round to Polk. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/972 "2009-12-29T20:22:58Z")
Jefferson. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/973 "2009-12-29T20:37:03Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Someone tell Leiko that Oregon was granted statehood, then we’ll work on catching her up to at least WWII. 🙂 😃 Hey, I never said I lived in Oregon, just the territory area. Grew up in Washington (42nd state) and did university in Montana (41st state). ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/974 "2009-12-29T20:56:01Z")
Since I’m one of the participants who takes entire careers into account, I don’'t want Jefferson to leave yet. I was going to vote for Truman, but I see that the Sage of Monticello’s closest rival is Polk, so I’ll reluctantly go with the man whose nomination and subsequent election as the first [“dark horse”](http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamespolk) president has been echoed by his so-far successful navigation of this game. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/975 "2009-12-29T21:28:53Z")
Truman ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/976 "2009-12-29T22:28:29Z")
Polk. (A lot of my posts in this thread are similar.) ---
**Author:** ![Cullain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cullain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cullain)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/977 "2009-12-30T00:51:26Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Polk. I guess I take a broader view of a candidate’s overall life and accomplishments than the mere 4-8 (15 for FDR) window in which they were President. I realize that some out there will vehemently disagree with me on this point, but I simply can’t ignore the things Jefferson did before he was actually elected. I don’t know about vehemently disagree, but I did try to limit my votes as best I could to their presidencies. Otherwise, both Adams, Madison, Monroe, Carter, heck - Grant helped win the civil war, and Hoover was a great person pre-presidency. assuming you weren’t black. ---
**Author:** ![Makeitstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/978 "2009-12-30T00:54:32Z")
OK, I’m going to go way off the path most traveled, and I’m going to vote for ‘Honest Abe’ Lincoln. Mostly becasue tired of seeing him without a single vote in this game. Lincoln ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/979 "2009-12-30T02:27:32Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Truman. I don’t believe he had to drop the bomb, I certainly don’t believe the second bomb was necessary. Other than fire MacArthur, I don’t know what he did that was so great. Truman. While I do agree with his decision to drop the bomb(s), I don’t think he did a whole lot else. ---
**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 30, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317/980 "2009-12-30T05:01:20Z")
> [@Makeitstop](#): > > OK, I’m going to go way off the path most traveled, and I’m going to vote for ‘Honest Abe’ Lincoln. Mostly becasue tired of seeing him without a single vote in this game. > > Lincoln Oh, c’mon. You just disqualified yourself. No sane person would vote for Lincoln while Jefferson, Polk and Eisenhower were still in the running! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-elimination-game/511317.md?page=50)