[203] They threw such jabs as "Van, Van, is a used-up man" and "Martin Van Ruin" and ridiculed him in newspapers and cartoons.[204] Issues of policy were not absent from the campaign; the Whigs derided the alleged executive overreaches of Jackson and Van Buren, while also calling for a national bank and higher tariffs.[205] Democrats attempted to campaign on the Independent Treasury system, but the onset of deflation undercut these arguments.[206] The enthusiasm for "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too", coupled with the country's severe economic crisis, made it impossible for Van Buren to win a second term.[203] Harrison won by a popular vote of 1,275,612 to 1,130,033, and an electoral vote margin of 234 to 60.[139] An astonishing 80% of eligible voters went to the polls on election day.[145] Van Buren actually won more votes than he had in 1836, but the Whig success in attracting new voters more than canceled out Democratic gains.[207] Additionally, Whigs won majorities for the first time in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.[137]

Post-presidency (1841–1862)[edit]
Election of 1844[edit]
On the expiration of his term, Van Buren returned to his estate of Lindenwald in Kinderhook.