Notes

• Through interviews, tells the story of Lee Atwater, the blues-playing rogue whose rambunctious rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a household name. Without Atwater, neither Ronald Reagan or George H.W. Bush might have been elected. Atwater mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush while making the GOP a Southern party, expertly advancing the culture wars, transforming the way the American media covers elections, and becoming seen as the godfather of modern negative campaigning. Despite his friendships with legendary American R & B artists James Brown, Chuck Jackson (interviewed in the film) and BB King, Atwater was accused of racially inflammatory tactics. With inside analysis from elite Republican leaders and important journalists, and compelling, never-before-seen archival footage of Atwater and both Presidents Bush, this documentary is a re-examination of the last 40 years of American history. –From the film’s website
• DVD