BOOGEYMAN: The Lee Atwater Story on Frontline tonight.

[progressoid]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/

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.

[AlCzervik]

1. ill be watching for sure, cannot wait.

[annabanana]

2. "charming, Machiavellian godfather "?? - .. .. .. I'll pass

He and his tactics have poisoned the body politic possibly beyond the point of redemption.

If it turns out that this show allots the appropriate opprobrium, I'll catch it in reruns.

[question everything]

14. Was worth watching just to feel vindicated with the election of Obama

after the Willie Horton ads that he "claimed" not to have known about.

[progressoid]

19. "Machiavellian, in a the good sense of the word"

I think Dick Cheney said that about him in the film. I was working while watching it so I wasn't paying attention to who said what all the time. I just remember thinking, "what the fuck?"

It was supposed to be an even sided portrayal of him. But after seeing it, I can't imagine anyone but Rovians still liking him. Ed Rollins chose his words carefully but his distaste was obvious (even though said he balled like a baby at his funeral).

[panader0]

3. What network, what time?

[AlCzervik]

4. It's on PBS, check your local station.

[progressoid]

5. click on the TV schedules tab at the PBS link

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/

[codjh9]

6. I'm not defending him whatsoever, but I took small satisfaction when I read - only vaguely -

that when he was dying of a brain tumor, he evidently said something about realizing what a dick he'd been. I should look that up...

[AlCzervik]

8. death bed conversion, he even called Dukakis.

i have Fortunate Son and a few other very early Bush books in Atwater is featured in them. total douche but he makes Rove look like the amateur dirty trickster that he is. Rove imo is way overrated.

[progressoid]

9. I heard on NPR that he DIDN'T call Dukakis.

Or show much remorse for his dirty tricks. That was just a rumor.

Hope they cover that tonight.

[AlCzervik]

10. he also apologized in an interview as well, maybe the phone call did not but the

other did. Was it sincere, who the hell knows, it was probably some feeble attempt to save him from the gates of hell. I'm an atheist myself but with these hard right people, when they croak they better hope that they are greeted by the loving God and not the vengeful god they pray to.

[arcadian]

7. The promo ads on here have that pic of Lee and Poppy...

Making stupid faces at each other and playing the guitar.

[progressoid]

11. FUCK - I should turn it off. Blood pressure rising.

[question everything]

12. I certainly remember the 1988 campaign

Yet did not realize the role that Junior played, and how smarmy he looked and sound even then. He and Rove.

I will give it to his friends that Atwater was not racist; but he played on racism that he knew his audience was.

And we - Clinton in 1992 and Obama in 2008 - certainly learned the lesson to respond immediately. Not to take the high road to ignore outrageous remarks. This was Kerry's mistake.

John Leonard died last week. He used to be a commentator on CBS Sunday Morning, and he gave a passionate comment on how Dukakis should have responded to that offensive question by Bernard Shaw. I have been searching for these comments for 20 years, even wrote to him once (never got a reply).

Last, watching the Willie Horton ads and commentaries, and Atwater's bold face lies "not knowing" what the Willie Horton ads were, I was thinking that last week elections were the best revenge for these actions.

[misanthrope]

15. So his friends said he wasn't racist?...

...And that somehow is supposed to make it better? In my mind, it makes it worse. He knew better and sacrificed principle for pragmatism.

It's like when George Wallace came out in his later years and tried to paint a new picture of himself as non-prejudiced. He thought the angle, "I didn't really believe in denying you your humanity, I just did it for political gain," sounded better somehow. The fact he didn't realize how much worse that made his actions showed me Wallace had absolutely no scruples and only believed in what would benefit him at that moment.

Atwater was the same. He was worse than a Klansman because at least the guy in the sheet is being honest.

[blm]

20. Baloney - Clinton didn't hit Bush1 even half as hard Kerry hit Bush2 and the swifts - the difference

is that Bush1 NEEDED to lose by 1992 because he expected to be impeached when the BCCI report was released in Dec 1992.

Show me ONE instance that Clinton hit Bush1 back harder than Kerry's attacks on Bush from ToraBora to challenging Bush to debate their services during Vietnam instead of hiding behind the lies of the swifts.

The corporate media edited Kerry's campaign heavily and refused to broadcast his hardest attacks, then claimed they never happened.

You think Obama would have even been the nominee if corpmedia refused to broadcast HIS speeches after the Wright tapes?

Try some CONTEXT. The media climates in 92, 00, 04 and 08 were all COMPLETELY different.

And gee....if ONLY Gore or Kerry made a deal with Poppy Bush in 1991 to deep-six BCCI matters for him in exchange for an easy ride to the WH in 1992.

[Fuzz]

13. Watching it now.

Yikes.

[Touchdown]

16. The final comment says it all about his "deathbed conversion"

The Bible he asked for was still wrapped in the cellophane and never opened. Playing politics 'till the end.

[progressoid]

17. Yep.

And Matlin's attempt to portray him as something other than a lying slime ball was pathetic.

[political_Dem]

18. Matlin is just as bad as Atwater was.

It is horrible to think that Atwater, Matlin, Rove and the rest of folks who worked for the GOP since the Reagan campaign have damaged a generation or more in America with their lies, racism and shenanigans.

Atwater deserves no respect. Nor does he deserve any pity.