Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story

Lee Atwater is the poppa of negative campaigns. He started out running a negative campaign the head up the College Republicans, with, none other than .. Karl Rove. Rove is Atwater's protegee. The 1988 election was my first election and I honestly don't remember the negative campaign influencing my vote at all. I remember his racist Willie Horton ad, but at that time in my life, I was a 22 year old clueless kid from an extraordinary conservative town and I voted straight ticket republican. I'm still exorcising that demon and writing it down helps. What was I thinking ... well, I wasn't thinking. My democrat Dad was ashamed of me, but he knew that I was voting my age, not my issues and he's right .. I've grown up since then.

Anyway, Lee Atwater. Now, he was a rat, a brilliant win at all costs anti-establishment rat. Note, I said brilliant. He accomplished more by the time he was 40 than most will accomplish in a lifetime in politics. He worked his ass off to get his candidate a victory, but he never pierced the veil socially. He was considered nothing more than the hired help and was expendible, which hurt him. He knew that if he failed, he would be thrown out with the rest of the garbage. He had to win that election for George HW Bush and he did, in the most rotten campaign ever run at that point. And then at 40, while he achieved the position of chairman of the RNC, he got brain cancer, and then get got guilty .. which deflates his image in my view. He went on a religion tear, converted to Catholocism and set about sending I'm sorry letters to everyone ... including Willie Horton!!! What an idiot move that was. I hate it when bad people turn to religion and look for forgiveness when they are on their deathbeds. It's dishonest and manipulative and COWARDLY. Even Mary Matalin, who defends Lee Atwater's style as if he were her child, didn't get why he went on his "please forgive me" campaign, his final campaign. Fooey on him. My parting words to Lee Atwater, whereever he may be are "you reap what you sow". Amen.

Watched the final 30 minutes of Boondock Saints. I just had to finish it. I love Billy Connelly and he was worth watching, actually, but the best business decision that Harvey & Bob Weinstein made was cutting that piece of doo of a film and Troy Duffy loose.