Review of Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (2008) by Tony D — 18 Oct 2012

Boogie Man vividly portrays the anxious, ambitious political consultant who clawed his way to the top of, and transformed, Republican politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Atwater brought the national G. O.

P. a sharper style of wedge issue politics rooted in white resentment, much as he must have observed growing up in Strom Thurmond's South Carolina. Atwater introduced Ronald Reagan to the South and the nation before an all-white,audience in a town famous only for the murder of civil rights volunteers, before waving Confederate flags.

Eight years later, Atwater helped pave George H.W. Bush's way to the White House with his "no new taxes" mantra and racist Willie Horton ads. All the while, Atwater played blues guitar alongside legendary black musicians and mentored the next Republican svengali, Karl Rove.

The film explores the questions, puzzles, and contradictions of Atwater's brief life through his own words and those of people who knew him without necessarily forcing an overall interpretation on the viewer.

Fascinating viewing for anyone interested in politics, history, or human nature.