Lee Atwater revolutionized presidential campaigning. He helped to create a solid Republican south. And he became notorious for turning national politics back into a blood sport, not only using nasty attacks but reveling in his image as the bad boy of Washington. Then, at the age of 39, Atwater was struck by a brain tumor. In thirteen months, cancer ended the most controversial career in modern politics—the charismatic, colorful, and contradictory life of Lee Atwater.Even today Atwater is a fallen leader Republicans love and a rival Democrats love to hate. He was the first political handler as mediagenic as his candidates—certainly the first chairman of the Republican National Committee to record a blues album. His campaigns represent the high-water mark of the GOPs postwar dominance of the presidency, and his techniques set the tone for races across the country. Watching Washington since his death, politicians and pundits still wonder, What if Lee Atwater had lived?Bad Boy reveals how Lee Atwater began his career controlling crowds as jittery class clown, traumatized by the agonizing death of his little brother. In college he discovered the subtle intercourse of policy and public opinion and grew from party animal to party man. Bad Boy details Atwater’s political strategies from the grass roots to the national level. Even more ruthless were the behind-the-scenes power games as he crossed paths, and occasionally crossed swords, with nearly every major Republican of the 1980s: Reagan, Bush, Baker, Ailes, Rollins, and many more.In Bad Boy, we also see the faces Atwater tried to spin away. He was a compulsive womanizer, climbing through windows to avoid reporters. He played radical politics but promoted ”big tent” Republicanism. Even his last public moment is controversial. Did Atwater’s deathbed words really repudiate entire campaigns, or were they twisted by political enemies and second-hand reporting? Was his repentance sincere or simply one last gasp of press manipulation? Was he responsible for the infamous Willie Horton ads, or was he unfairly blamed by 1988s losers, trying for a moral victory? Is Lee Atwater, a master of spin, now being spun in his grave?In its sudden end, Atwater’s remarkable life resembled the rise and fall of a fine political novel. With the probing insights of an expert interviewer and a rare stylistic verve, John Brady tells that whole frantic, fascinating story—the life of the baddest boy in D.C.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
An equally apt title for this would be Anatomy of a Politico, for in reading this life of the man who made negative campaigning a household word, introduced the concept of the permanent campaign and is credited with helping Bush beat Dukakis in 1988 with the Willy Horton issue (about a pardoned recidivist), one senses that Atwater lived for little else than politics. While claiming that no one knew Atwater well, Brady (The Craft of Interviewing) fleshes out the life of South Carolina-born Harvey Leroy (Lee) Atwater with pertinent aspects of his upbringing, marriage and life in politics. He details the rise of Atwater from greenhorn to Beltway insider, where he became chairman of the Republican National Committee, "the first professional political consultant to head either political party." A strength of Brady's presentation is that he lets readers decide what they think of his protagonist, by whom he seems fascinated, though not to the point of losing his objectivity. Although there's more dope here than some might wish, a full-bodied view emerges of the man whom brain cancer struck down at age 40 in 1991, when he was near the height of his powers.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Prior to his death from cancer at age 40 in 1991, Republican campaign manager Lee Atwater was one of the most admired and hated men in American politics. His greatest accomplishment was guiding Vice President George Bush to a comeback victory over Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis in 1988. Bush's comeback was partially the result of Atwater's skillful use of "attack" television commercials directed at Dudakkis's record as governor of Massachusetts. Even before the 1988 campaign Atwater had acquired a reputation for negative and mean-spirited campaigning. Journalist Brady's biography not only documents Atwater's considerable political talents but also examines the often manipulative relationships that were a major part of Atwater's professional and private lives. Brady does not present sufficient evidence to justify his characterization of Atwater as "the best political campaign manager who ever lived," but his book is an excellent introduction for lay readers to the career of a man who helped define the modern political campaign.?Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Like Lee Atwater himself, this biography is entertaining, and quick-and-dirty. Also like Atwater, it is essentially skin deep, offering little assessment on how a figure like Atwater could arise and become so powerful within the Republican Party so fast. There's also not much about Atwater's innovation -- "oppo" research-based politics that turned the nascent 24-hour news cycle to the advantage of the savvier campaign. Atwater invented the style of "war room" campaigning that was enhanced by another southerner, James Carville, four years later.
Still, the book is well-crafted and does an excellent job of chronicling Atwater's life. It is especially admirable for revealing the truth about Atwater's alleged deathbed renunciation of hardball politics -- which never really happened. The real story is far more interesting.
Still, the book is well-crafted and does an excellent job of chronicling Atwater's life. It is especially admirable for revealing the truth about Atwater's alleged deathbed renunciation of hardball politics -- which never really happened. The real story is far more interesting.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Lee Atwater knew politics and how to work it. This book gives a compelling look at the transformation of a good ol' boy into the man responsible for the election of the most powerful man in the world. Mr. Brady does a fine job of showing all sides of Lee. From the insecurities that drove his attitude through the frailities of a man on his death bed,this book does justice to the real man. Lee Atwater set the trend for the future of politics. This book is a must read for anyone in the business of getting people elected.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Atwater was pretty much a moral scumbag, but the father of politics as we know it today. He did it his way and for that he is a hero. Brady tells the truth about the man and his life. Reading, you feel like a part of the action. It's a great book, but don't pick it up unless you're comfortable being obsessed with politics for the rest of your life!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very bad boy!
If one wishes to understand how and why such a scumbag as Lee Atwater could have reached such prominence, read BARE KNUCKLES AND BACK ROOMS, a truly enjoyable, instructive, and... Read more
Published on April 6, 2010 by Robert G. Heinritz, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It all Depends on What the Word "Mean" means?
More so than most American political figures, Lee Atwater is proving in death to be much larger than he was in life. Read more
Published on December 25, 2008 by Herbert L Calhoun
3.0 out of 5 stars
I felt dirty after reading this book
I read this right after seeing the frontline episode about Atwater. This man had no redeeming qualities and seemed to be a complete egomaniac. Read more
Published on November 13, 2008 by I. Skrybailo
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Godfather of Spin"
About the political life of Lee Atwater, "the godfather of spin," this book details Atwater's political strategies, from managing local races to running Bush's 1988 campaign. Read more
Published on March 17, 2005 by Matt Lewis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Starting to Debunk the Myths...
I read Bad Boy with great anticipation and came away with mixed feelings. "If only we had another Lee Atwater" is a sentiment that resonates with today's too-often... Read more
Published on November 17, 2000 by Patrick Ruffini
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sobering portrait of a man, and his world
I read this for several reasons. I worked with Lee, and virtualy every person named in the book. It was a time in my life I'll never forget. Read more
Published on April 14, 1999 by John Malcolm
5.0 out of 5 stars
A political manual for partisan attack dogs everywhere
Lee Atwater was the founding father of today's political professional. Brady's book reveals all sides of Atwater's personality -- from the man who intimidated many to the... Read more
Published on January 22, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best political book I've ever read!
As one active in politics, I've read many a political book, but have never read one that taught me so much and touched my emotions so much as well. Read more
Published on October 9, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
As close to a text on political consulting as you will find.
...Lee Atwater was and is my hero, he was the ne plus ultra of the business that is at the center of my soul, and I personaly saw the difference between the Lee Atwater run Bush... Read more
Published on July 10, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
A winner; the definitive study of the late Lee Atwater
Joseph Brady's biography is likely to be the definitive study of the late Lee Atwater. It is meticulously researched and engagingly written. Read more
Published on July 3, 1997
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