PBS on Lee Atwater HOLY DEPRESSING Godawful downer of a tale
Of course, as with any biography, it's all in the telling. I don't know what the many friends of Atwater who participated in the documentary would make of this final product. I would say an effort was made to show the "human" part of Atwater. That seems to have consisted largely in his genuine appreciation for and delight in music, especially blues. But frankly, that was about it as far as the "likeable about Atwater" aspect extended.
It certainly gives him his due for intelligence, energy and determination, but neither does it stint on the outright evil behind his success stories. I don't think Mary Matalin's contributions did much to offset the impression that this guy is a model for any unrepentant cynic whose aim in politics isn't connected to a specific agenda so much as it is to WINNING at any cost.
In this regard, it was pretty depressing.
And then it got even more depressing.
Atwater was still pretty young when the tumor showed up. So now we move to seeing shots of Atwater looking somewhat enfeebled, and instead of comments about how he had the eyes of a killer we get shot after shot of Atwater as human being looking scared to death. And his friends, the same ones who had been talking about the joy he took in going for the jugular of the political opposition are now talking about how he sought the counsel of rabbis, priests, buddhists, shaman, etc . . . and expressed regret for various cruelties. Steroid treatments caused his face to blow up enormously, distorting his looks so much that he was unrecognizable.
And Ed Rollins was there, talking about himself as usual, and even going so far as to relay words Atwater uttered to him, when stricken, that I doubt he expected would be shared with a camera crew. Geez but Rollins is repulsive.
It was a downer, downer, downer. And even if it hadn't been as bleak as it was, Mary Matalin's voice telling us that Atwater did nothing wrong certainly made it seem so.
I am sure it was no fun for his family, but Atwater's life
seemed to represent circular justice rather well.
I have this notion that Atwater apologized to Dukakis when the end was near. Did the bio touch on that, if indeed it happened?
Person County Democrats
Environmental Defense Fund
Cell phones will be to the 21st century what tobacco was to the 20th.
He gave many apologies
according to the documentary, and one to Dukakis was specifically mentioned.
The documentary had the kind of limitations you'd expect from a 1.5 hour show, so there was plenty that left one questioning certain statements of fact and a given witness's account of events. I wondered about family cooperation, and who might take on the task of trying to write a fully fleshed biography. For insights into the development of party politics in this country from the seventies to this day, I would think that could be a fascinating work.
It's hard to imagine his family wanting to give full and open access to whatever materials they control or to being interviewed about him.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke
Rollins and Matalin
Two reasons I'm glad I didn't watch.
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Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.
Two excellent reasons
not to watch, I have to say.
They're both pretty repulsive. Matalin is just so danged mean that I don't understand how she is able to breathe without setting the furniture on fire, and Rollins is so unctuous, so absolutely oozing with self-adulation that I expect to see a slime trail marking any path he trods.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke
informative on atwater's enablers
How often they showed the people around him with their manners and gentility just letting him run his evil, hateful campaigns. I thought it was actually good to see this now - after an election in which his time-tested tactics just made the public sea-sick. Or, at least, turned off the majority who don't think Obama is Muslim or Kay Hagan a godless heathen. His effectiveness is tied to the time of limited media, and in the blog-rich new reality,those tactics are not impossible, but darned harder to pull off. The weariness of regular people to hear negatives could have resulted in such voter apathy, but instead this beautiful switch happened, in which people were energized for a positive campaign. I am still shaking my head in astonishment.
Obama Energy
I'm convinced it was because of Obama's having energized so many, and my suspicion is that reaction to Dole's last minute attempt doesn't foretell similar reactions to negative ads in the future.
Dole was already flailing badly, and in this instance, she just went right over the top. It won't stop negative campaigning.
Lee Atwater's influence is still pervasive, as Rove has demonstrated time and time again.
Did you notice how all the commentators beamed with pride talking about Atwater's dirty tricks? Tucker Askew couldn't have been more proud, and Ed Rollins, bless his smug, pontificating, unctuous and absolutely rotten, stench of a carcass, was taking credit for mentoring the guy.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke