You more than likely have never heard of Lee Atwater unless you’re a political junkie. However, if you were a Democrat during the 1980s, you probably checked under your bed to make sure he wasn’t there.

Steve Forbes’ “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story” is a documentary that tells the story of a Republican political consultant, turned campaign mastermind, who elevated the game of dirty politics during the 1980s. Atwater used media manipulation and smear tactics with a ferocity never seen before in American politics.

“Boogie Man” refers to the shadiness of this political figure and his musical skills that allowed him to get down with R&B legend B.B. King and George Bush Sr. in what appears to be another successful campaign party. One more reference can be attributed to Atwater’s ads about Willie Horton, a rapist and murder, which cost Michael Dukakis the 1988 presidential election. If you weren’t around for that then ask your parents about it. Dukakis is shown as the antithesis of Atwater by highlighting how integrity doesn’t equal victory.

The beginning of the documentary skims Atwater’s early political life by using interviews of his friends, aides and former political targets who recall the Republican operative’s ambition, which sacrificed honesty for success. The message that he had no agenda for joining the Republican Party, as opposed to the Democrats, other than more opportunity to establish his name, shows you what kind of ideals Atwater held.

Early tales concern voter fixing and discounting ballots foreshadow major controversies in American politics, which Atwater designed the blueprints for. He shaped his reputation in the campaigns of such people as Senator Strom Thurmond, Floyd Spence, Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. We see the consequences of his reputation in his protégé Karl Rove and the same tactics used by Bush’s staff in the 2000 elections.

This film asks you to stomach the realization that campaigns are more about political sabotage than debating the issues. Lee Atwater turned this into an art form by leaking the personal embarrassments, which sometimes were completely invented, of the candidates who his employers opposed.

The film demonizes the “political operative” by showing this anxious, and dubious, man tightening his hooks into American history. We see little of his family and barely touch his life outside the political arena. However, this is done on purpose to create a relentless villain aimed at showing what can be sacrificed for the sake of power. And as we get deeper into the film, you can see how the portrait being painted should actually be a photograph in a textbook for an American history class.

Why should you care? Our civil awareness appears to be at an all time high due to the state of our union and the current election. If you have a shred of interest in what happens to this country and our government, you should understand how the ambition of one man can change the course of history without anyone even knowing it.

Gregory Westcott can be reached at [email protected]