Michael Harrington’s book The Other America, a groundbreaking study of poverty in America, was published in 1962. Read by President John F. Kennedy, it was probably the driving force behind the "war on poverty." The Boston Globe editorialized that Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps and expanded social security benefits were traceable to Harrington’s ideas. Harrington became the pre-eminent spokesman for socialism in America.
This film captures the essence of Harrington’s ideas through the use of archival footage and interviews with people who knew and worked with him, as well as those who were in total disagreement. Over thirty interviews are filmed with people as diverse as John Kenneth Galbraith, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley and Charles Murray. We also hear from ordinary people who struggle to make a living, or are dependent on social services. These are the victims of what Harringon called "the new American poverty," which unfortunately still exists despite a booming economy.The documentary includes a brief history of socialism in America, and raises questions concerning the merits and relevance of unions today, and the problems of migrant workers, farmers, inner cities and our health care system