If you were president and were looking for a way to lose election to a second term, a place to start might be to become well known for excessive drinking. Wait...that's been done already. Ask President Martin Van Buren. When he was younger, his heavy drinking earned him the nickname "Blue Whiskey Van." During the election of 1840, his opponent, William Henry Harrison, used this nickname as a weapon against him, which helped Harrison defeat Van Buren. Harrison's campaign also mocked Van Buren for his diminutive size. At just 5 feet 6 inches, Van Buren was the second shortest president, beat out only by James Madison, who was 5 feet 4 inches tall.
If you were president and were looking for a way to lose election to a second term, a place to start might be to become well known for excessive drinking. Wait...that's been done already. Ask President Martin Van Buren. When he was younger, his heavy drinking earned him the nickname "Blue Whiskey Van." During the election of 1840, his opponent, William Henry Harrison, used this nickname as a weapon against him, which helped Harrison defeat Van Buren. Harrison's campaign also mocked Van Buren for his diminutive size. At just 5 feet 6 inches, Van Buren was the second shortest president, beat out only by James Madison, who was 5 feet 4 inches tall.
