Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story

This is an investigative documentary about Republican operative Lee Atwater. He's a blues-playing hyper-competitive southerner from South Carolina rising to be GOP Chairman. Supposedly, he picked Republicans because of their inferior state and therefore greater opportunity to advance. He interns for Strom Thurmond. In 1973, he becomes the head of college Republicans with his protégé Karl Rove beating the expected winner by challenging every vote and handed the victory by George H.W. Bush. He is able to tap into southern white resentment using every trick possible as long as he gets the win. He is instrumental in Reagan and becomes the favorite hired hand of the Bushes. However it's George W. Bush that is his true soulmate. Both men have been in the rougher street-level world unlike the high class Bush family. He is unrelenting in his drive and remorseless to his enemies.

This is a damning indictment on politics and a compelling personal study. It's easy to understand the Democrats hating the man and his methods. It is more fascinating to hear it from his former Republican colleagues like Ed Rollins. That's behind the scenes from somebody who was actually behind the scenes. It probably needs to expand on his childhood. Of course, the right has bones to pick about this movie. It has a point of view and it's not a fluff piece of Lee. The funny thing is that Lee would probably be secretly proud of this assessment of his work while railing against it as all lies.