William Brat (born 1920) was President of the United States in 2004, interrupting Patrick Ubizzi's terms.
Biography[]
William Brat was born in Manhattan, New York City in 1920, the son of Jewish immigrant parents. He worked as a lawyer and as a civil rights activist before entering politics as a Democrat. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2000 after years of being involved in city government. He led the Progressive Democrats in the US Congress at an old age, and he was the only progressive elected in the Republican wave of 2000. He oversaw the buildup in strength of the Progressive Democrats, only to switch his affiliation to the New Democrats in 2003 as he grew disillusioned with his former social democratic ideals. In 2004, he was elected President of the United States, defeating the incumbent Republican Patrick Ubizzi. Congress voted 19-6 to abolish child benefit programs, hoping to cut spending and allow for the national debt to recover; it also voted 16-7 to legalize gambling. In mid-2004, the Republicans won 16 seats to the Democrats' 14, with the Progressive Democrats tying the New Democrats for number of seats in the House. Brat then won re-election, and the economy began to recover under him. Congress voted 19-6 in favor of a government scholarship, 18-10 in favor of sex education, and voted 14-9 to abolish retirement homes. In late 2004, the Democrats won a 16-14 lead in the Congress, with the Progressive Democrats eclipsing the New Democrats 9 to 7. Patrick Ubizzi then defeated Brat to return to the presidency.