"Republicans don't believe in anything, except winning an election." That was what Lee Atwater brought to the Republican party.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/
Great documentary on PBS:
In Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, producer Stefan Forbes reveals new information about the meteoric rise and tragic demise of a man both admired and reviled for the controversial, sometimes racially-charged political tactics that helped elect George H.W. Bush president and inspired protégés such as Karl Rove. Through a wealth of compelling, never-before-seen footage and photos, as well as interviews with boyhood friends, elite Republican strategists and political adversaries, the documentary examines Atwater's impact on the way modern political campaigns are waged.
"[Lee Atwater] mattered in American politics," Newsweek political writer Howard Fineman says, "because of the man he got elected, because of the party he shaped. He was very important not only to George H.W.'s victory, but to his son's victory."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/
Great documentary on PBS:
In Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, producer Stefan Forbes reveals new information about the meteoric rise and tragic demise of a man both admired and reviled for the controversial, sometimes racially-charged political tactics that helped elect George H.W. Bush president and inspired protégés such as Karl Rove. Through a wealth of compelling, never-before-seen footage and photos, as well as interviews with boyhood friends, elite Republican strategists and political adversaries, the documentary examines Atwater's impact on the way modern political campaigns are waged.
"[Lee Atwater] mattered in American politics," Newsweek political writer Howard Fineman says, "because of the man he got elected, because of the party he shaped. He was very important not only to George H.W.'s victory, but to his son's victory."