AllMovie

As in the title of this documentary, the political career of Allard Lowenstein is illustrated from the time he first made headlines testifying about the abysmal situation in southwest Africa to the loss he suffered in trying for a second term as congressman in 1972. Lowenstein seemed to automatically go where help was needed -- to Mississippi for a voter registration drive to help Afro-Americans in their efforts to register and to the campaign headquarters for Eugene McCarthy to help him in his bid to oust Johnson as the Democratic presidential candidate. Interviews with people as varied as Edward Kennedy, William F. Buckley, Jr., and a few housewives who worked on his campaign testify to Lowenstein's dedication to human rights issues and to promoting a positive attitude in all his acquaintances, workers, and friends. Lowenstein's tragic murder in 1980 cut short a dynamic career.