Everyone seems to agree that American politics are getting consistently nastier, but few people are looking at why. If Boogie Man is to be believed, the blame for the new lows in political discourse falls squarely at the feet of Lee Atwater.

Though this is clearly an oversimplification, Atwater is certainly a major figure, and, more importantly, a fascinating documentary subject. The mastermind behind George H.W. Bush’s first presidential campaign, Atwater is depicted as a thoroughly ruthless schemer, eager to lie, cheat and backstab his way into Washington’s good graces. Far from an ideologue, Atwater was a Republican only because there was less competition in that party; his motives are purely machiavellian. Yet he’s so shamelessly manipulative that it’s difficult not to like him — a fact that he repeatedly takes advantage of when he blatantly and repeatedly lies to his superiors, his colleagues and the American public.

Two tragedies emerge from Boogie Man. The first is the eagerness with which the Republicans embrace Atwater’s dirty tactics. Although he eventually expressed regret for how he lived his life (a prolonged and ultimately fatal bout with cancer changed his perspective), the party had already discarded Atwater and embraced his protégés Karl Rove and George W. Bush, whom he met while working on the elder Bush’s campaign. The second comes from an interview with failed presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. He points out that if he had taken Atwater’s attack ads more seriously in his run against Bush Sr. (he felt they were too underhanded to warrant a response), he might very well have won, ending both Bushes’ political careers in one go.