Peter Summers (1966-) was an American Republican politician who served as President of the United States from 23 April 2001 to 8 March 2004, preceding Patrick Ewing. Summers came to office amid a Republican landslide and was initially able to fund the National Football League and the Olympic Games to entertain the public, while also reinstating capital punishment and implementing protest prohibition in the aftermath of 9/11. However, the following years of his presidency were marked by financial downturn and repeated losses to the Democrats in the Senate.
Biography[]
Peter Summers was born in Dallas, Texas in 1966, and he came from a wealthy family of oil producers. Summers first entered politics by being elected a Republican US Senator for Texas, and, in 2001, he won the Republican nomination for the presidency. Summers and the Republican Party enjoyed widespread support due to the unpopularity of the incumbent Democratic administration, a desire for continued economic growth, and fatigue after two terms of Democratic presidential rule. At the 9 April 2001 general election, the Republicans won 69.55% of the vote and 33/48 US Senate seats, while the Democrats won 30.45% of the vote and 15/48 seats. This Republican supermajority was a strong sign that Summers would handily win election, and he defeated Democratic presidential candidate Scott Harrison by a margin of 62.1% to 37.9% on 23 April 2001.
Presidency[]
Summers inherited a budget of $148 million, with a weekly increase of $3 million; he also enjoyed a Senatorial supermajority and high popularity. Under Summers, the Senate voted 21-15 to fund the postal service, 29-15 against public housing, 26-17 for a school bus tax, 45-0 for mandatory vaccinations, 31-14 to fund the Olympic Games, 29-14 to fund a national football league, 44-2 to keep the robbery penalty, 46-0 to approve a dog license program, 28-16 to approve a driving license program, 29-14 to bring back capital punishment, and, in the aftermath of 9/11, 31-16 in favor of protest prohibition. By the start of 2002, the economy had fallen to $62 million with a weekly decline of $2 million.
On 25 March 2002, a new round of elections were held, and the Republican share of the vote fell to 62.94% (-6.61%) and 30/48 Senate seats (-3 seats), while the Democrats won 37.06% of the vote (+.6.61%) and 18/48 seats (+3 seats). In the ensuing presidential election, however, Summers won re-election with 62.3% of the vote to Scott Harrison's 37.7%, increasing his share of the vote by .2%, a sign that moderate Democratic voters had split their ticket. During Summers' second term, the Senate voted 23-19 against a housing tax, and, on 24 June 2002, America fell into a financial crisis which exacerbated the country's crumbling economy. The Senate then voted 37-3 to legalize gambling, 40-2 to keep mandatory vaccinations, 24-9 to keep the consumption tax, 43-0 to keep the school bus tax, 45-0 to legalize prostitution, 43-3 to keep the postal service, 39-1 to abolish the death sentence, 41-2 to abolish the national football league, 44-1 to approve bank secrecy, 39-6 to approve a copyright law, 45-1 to approve prison labor, 42-2 to approve a travel visa, and 29-16 to fund agriculture research. On 17 February 2003, a nuclaer incident compounded the Summers administration's troubles.
On 10 March 2003, new elections were held, and the Democrats again made impressive gains. The Republicans fell to 58.95% (-3.99%) and 28/48 Senate seats (-2 seats), while the Democrats rose to 41.05% (+3.99%) and 20/48 Senate seats (+2 seats); the Democrats also defeated turncoat Brenda Lee Lewis, who had defected to the Republicans a few weeks before the election. A week later, the Senate voted 26-9 against an immigration ban, with Democrats Rebecca Freeman and Karen Paterson breaking ranks with their party to support it. On 24 March 2003, Summers won re-election with 60.3% of the vote to Harrison's 39.7%, a slight decrease in his share, but reflecting his continued popularity.
Summers' third term saw the Senate vote 23-18 to approve a food control agency, 23-22 to abolish protest prohibition, 22-10 against public libraries, 21-14 for a tourist tax, 24-19 for an organ donation program, 39-3 for a child benefit program, 26-17 to fund the NFL, 26-18 to reimplement the draft (for the Iraq War), 42-3 for a public smoking ban, 38-3 for torture prohibition, 23-20 to reimplement the death sentence, 25-9 for a bank tax, 24-20 to keep agriculture research, 27-16 to fund the teaching of religion in schoos, 24-21 to fund an ambulance service, and 45-3 to keep the postal service. By the turn of 2004, the budget had fallen to negative $53 million with a weekly increase of $2 million, and the population was mostly happy; the Democrats' support had fallen to 38.03%, 3.02% less than their previous election result, partly due to Summers' reinstitution of his old programs and a slight economic recovery. However, Senator Lisa Moyne (R-ND) defected to the Democrats due to her opposition to the death penalty.
On 23 February 2004, new elections were held, and the Republicans rose to 60.38% (+1.43%) of the vote and 29/48 seats (+1 seat), while the Democrats fell to 39.62% (-1.43%) and 19/48 seats (-1 seat). The term-limited Summers stood down, and Republican nominee Patrick Ewing defeated Scott Harrison by a margin of 52.2% to 47.8%.