Lee Atwater was a complex individual having witnessed tragedy in his life at an early age. He developed into a focused man working through the grassroots College Republicans up into the RNC Chairman.
In the 1988 Bush – Duakakis race, Atwater was credited with the creation of the Willie Horton ad. He didn’t create the ad, as a loyal Chairman he did not come clean with the identity of the creator. As a young Republican National Committee Chairman on the top of the world, he developed a brain tumor and continued to live life to its fullest.
The last conversation Atwater had with Mary Matalin was when she telephoned him to wish him a Happy Birthday. He said the economy will get worse and Bush and Sununu were going to face a bad economy in ’92 and wouldn’t know how to handle it. And for Mary he offered on bit of advice: “Quit dating Democrats.”
He was prophetic about the ’92 issues and how Bush and Sununu wouldn’t be able to handle it. I only wish Mary had heeded his advice. No one should marry someone unequally yoked.
RIP, Lee. You deserve it.
