Eric Zachary (1938-) was an American Republican politician who served as a US Senator from Louisiana from 9 April 2001 to 29 January 2007 and President of the United States from 29 January 2007 to 3 January 2009 (succeeding Patrick Ewing and preceding Daniel Vance). Zachary inherited a country in the throes of the Great Recession, and, while austerity measures restored the country's economic fortunes by the end of Zachary's second term, his personal popularity was eroded by continued illiberal legislation such as the implementation of the death sentence and the reimplementation of protest prohibition. He was handily defeated for re-election by the Democrat Daniel Vance in 2009 by a margin of 43.8% to 56.3%.
Biography[]
Eric Zachary was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1938. He worked in the oil industry before entering politics, serving as a Republican US Senator from Louisiana from 2001 to 2007. At the end of his term, he won the Republican nomination for President of the United States, and he defeated the Democratic nominee Matthew Alden by a margin of 57% to 43%. Zachary inherited a Republican senatorial majority of 28/48 seats, but he also came into office amid the Great Recession, inheriting a deficit of $114 million with a weekly loss of $5 million.
Presidency[]
Under Zachary, the Senate voted 41-3 to abolish the Olympic Games, 41-3 to abolish the NFL, 43-1 to abolish fossil fuel subsidies, 42-4 to abolish protest prohibition, 44-1 to defund the teaching of religion in schools, 31-8 for a tourist tax, 24-22 to keep torture prohibition, 32-6 to approve a bank tax, endured ten weeks of Democratic protests, voted 27-9 to keep the pollution tax, 26-17 to keep government scholarships, 23-19 against bringing back the Olympics, 27-9 against environmental education, 26-19 to bring back the NFL, and 29-10 to keep the alcohol tax.
By New Year's Day of 2008, the economy had recovered to $33 million with a weekly increase of $6 million. On 3 January 2008, new elections saw the Democrats win 42.55% of the vote and 20/48 Senate seats, while the Republicans fell to 57.45% and 28/48 seats; the seat counts remained unchanged, even as the Democrats had struggled with their popularity during Zachary's first term. On 14 January, Zachary won re-election with 53.1% of the vote to Democrat Daniel Vance's 46.9%, a much closer margin than during his first term. However, the country's economic recovery and a global trend of conservatism aided Zachary in retaining the presidency, leaving the Republicans with their eighth consecutive presidential election win.
During Zachary's second term, the Senate voted 39-4 to keep torture prohibition, James Dally's corruption scandal led to the Democrats' popularity rising to 44.12%, the Senate voted 19-15 against an immigration ban, 40-3 for a taxi license program, 26-16 against a corporate tax, 41-3 to keep agriculture research, 21-12 to keep the pollution tax, 26-18 in favor of protest prohibition, 30-15 in favor of public libraries, 23-19 in favor of fossil fuel subsidies, 40-3 to keep the postal service, 24-20 to fund the teaching of religion in schools, 41-3 for environmental education, 28-10 against arts subsidies, 23-20 to celebrate Independence Day, and 42-3 to keep prison labor.
On 15 December 2008, a Democratic tidal wave swept the Senate elections as a series of scandals within the GOP, as well as the GOP's return to draconian policies, proved unpopular with the voters. The Democrats rose to 57.28% (+14.73%) and 27/48 seats (+7 seats), while the Republicans fell to 42.72% (-14.73%) and 21/48 seats (-7 seats). The results shocked the Republican Party, which had a strong economy (a budget of $109 million, with a weekly decrease of $1 million) going for it, and which was driven out of the majority for the first time in over ten years. Linda O'Dea (D-OH), Dave Shore (D-FL), Dave Douglas (D-CO), Kevin Smart (D-IN), Justin Earp (D-NV), Drew Eason (D-NC), and Paul Page (D-MI) won over key swing states, and, on 3 January 2009, Democrat Daniel Vance defeated Zachary for re-election by a margin of 56.3% to 43.8%.