i think the wisest thing to come out of this documentary is his recognition at the end of his life that fucking over others was maybe not such a cool idea after all.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > This should be fascinating, and I advise anyone > who has an enduring interest in politics and the > political process to watch it. There was a PBS > debate aired a number of years ago that brought > together the "movers and shakers" of the previous > election's Presidential campaigns. I sat there > watching it mesmerized, because there was clearly > only one person on the panel who understood politics. > > That was Lee Atwater. I may have despised the man's > politics, but even I have to admit his genius in > the realm of manipulating public opinion. He was > literally the only person on the panel who under- > stood why the winner won, and the losers lost. > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > Tuesday: The father of Repugnican dirty tricks on IPTV > > > > Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (#2703) > > > > TV Schedule: > > > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?date=11-11- 2008&start=20:00&highlight=145_ > > 2703> Tue, November 11, 2008 8:00 PM ( > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=HD&date=11-11- 2008&start=20:00&hig > > hlight=145_2703> IPTV HD) > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=HD> HD > > (High Definition) > > * > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?date=11-11- 2008&start=21:00&highlight=145_ > > 2703> Tue, November 11, 2008 9:00 PM ( > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=IPTV&date=11-11- 2008&start=21:00&h > > ighlight=145_2703> IPTV) > > * > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?date=11-11- 2008&start=23:00&highlight=145_ > > 2703> Tue, November 11, 2008 11:00 PM ( > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=HD&date=11-11- 2008&start=23:00&hig > > hlight=145_2703> IPTV HD) > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=HD> HD > > (High Definition) > > * > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?date=11-12- 2008&start=19:30&highlight=145_ > > 2703> Wed, November 12, 2008 7:30 PM ( > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=CREATE&date=11-12- 2008&start=19:30 > > &highlight=145_2703> IPTV Create/World) > > * > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?date=11-12- 2008&start=23:00&highlight=145_ > > 2703> Wed, November 12, 2008 11:00 PM ( > > > <http://www.iptv.org/schedule.cfm?channel=CREATE&date=11-12- 2008&start=23:00 > > &highlight=145_2703> IPTV Create/World) > > > > A revealing look at the life of the controversial, take-no- prisoners > > Republican political operative. > > > > http://www.iptv.org/series.cfm/145/frontline/ep:2703 > > > > In the wake of yet another hard-fought and bitter presidential campaign, > > FRONTLINE presents a spirited and revealing biography of Lee > Atwater, the > > charming, Machiavellian godfather of modern, take-no-prisoners > Republican > > political campaigns. Through eye-opening interviews with Atwater's > closest > > friends and adversaries, the film explores the life of the controversial > > political operative who mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush, led > the GOP > > to historic victories, and wrote the party's winning playbook. The story > > tracks Atwater's rise from his beginnings in South Carolina as a > high school > > election kingmaker all the way to the White House and his subsequent > battle > > with cancer and final search for forgiveness and redemption. To > Democrats, > > Atwater was a political assassin who one Congresswoman dubbed "the > most evil > > man in America," but to Republicans he remains a hero for his deep > > understanding of the American voter and his unapologetic vision of > politics > > as warfare. > > > > > > > > > > > > Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story > > > > > > > > Boogie Man is a gripping political thriller about Lee Atwater, a > > blues-playing rogue whose rambunctious rise from the South to > Chairman of > > the GOP made him a political rock star. He mentored George W. Bush > and Karl > > Rove while leading the Republican party to historic victories, > helping make > > liberal a dirty word, and transforming the way America elects our > > Presidents. In eye-opening interviews with elite Republicans and > friends of > > Atwater, Boogie Man sheds new light on his crucial role in America's > shift > > to the right. To Democrats offended by the 1988 Willie Horton > controversy, > > Atwater was a remorseless political assassin aptly dubbed by one > > Congresswoman "the most evil man in America." But he remains a hero > to many > > Republicans for his irreverent sense of humor, his deep > understanding of the > > American heartland, and his unapologetic vision of politics as war. This > > film builds to a moving portrait of a cynic's desperate deathbed > search for > > meaning. After Boogie Man, you won't see American politics the same way > > again! > > > > > > > > Jake Tapper of ABC writes: > > > > ABC News has learned that Warren Tompkins, one of the strategists of > > then-Gov. George W. Bush's South Carolina campaign in 2000 -- which Sen. > > John McCain, R-Ariz., blamed for his family being slimed -- is now a > part of > > the McCain-Palin campaign team, albeit in an "unofficial" role. > > > > Tompkins, a protégé of Lee Atwater*, has been dispatched to North > Carolina > > to assess the state for the McCain-Palin campaign, Southern GOP > strategists > > tell ABC News. > > > > ... The news of Tompkins being brought on board the McCain campaign > brings > > to a total of three the number of GOP operatives McCain now is using > despite > > the fact that he once held them responsible for the ugly campaign that > > contributed to his South Carolina primary defeat, a campaign in which > > McCain's wife Cindy was attacked for her past addiction to > painkillers, and > > the McCains' adopted Bangladeshi daughter, Bridget, was targeted as his > > illegitimate black baby. > > > > > > > > *Harvey Leroy "Lee" Atwater (February 27, 1951 March 29, 1991) was an > > American political consultant and strategist to the Republican > party. He was > > an advisor of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. > He was > > also a political mentor and close friend of Republican strategist > Karl Rove. > > Atwater invented or improved upon many of the techniques of modern > electoral > > politics, including promulgating unflattering rumors and attempting > to drive > > up opponents' "negative" poll numbers with the aggressive use of > opposition > > research. He has been characterized as the "happy hatchet man" and > "Darth > > Vader" of the Republican Party.[1] In spite of criticisms of Atwater's > > tactics as unethical and dirty tricks, he was widely regarded as a > > near-brilliant political operative who helped candidates to win. > His life > > is the subject of the feature-length documentary film Boogie Man. > > > > > > Atwater apologizes > > > > > > Shortly before his death from a brain tumor, Atwater said he had > converted > > to Catholicism, through the help of Fr. John Hardon, S.J.,[10] and, > in an > > act of repentance, Atwater issued a number of public and written > letters to > > individuals to whom he had been opposed during his political career, > > including Dukakis. In a letter to Tom Turnipseed dated June 28, 1990, he > > stated, "It is very important to me that I let you know that out of > > everything that has happened in my career, one of the low points > remains the > > so-called 'jumper cable' episode," adding, "my illness has taught me > > something about the nature of humanity, love, brotherhood and > relationships > > that I never understood, and probably never would have. So, from that > > standpoint, there is some truth and good in everything."[11] > > > > In a February 1991 article for Life Magazine, Atwater wrote: > > > > My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was > > missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The '80s were about > > acquiring acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more > > wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you > want and > > still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time > with my > > family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a > > deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a > truth that > > the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, > can learn > > on my dime. I don't know who will lead us through the '90s, but they > must be > > made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, > > this tumor of the soul. > > >
