Like most sensible people I couldn’t stand Phil Donahue back in the day. He was a perfect exemplar of sanctimonious cliche leftism. I hadn’t given him a thought for a long time until news of his passing crossed the news wires two days ago. Today he’d have to compete with David French in the grotesque sanctimony department, and with The View for truly degrading television. He was actually much superior to just about everyone else around in the media scene today, despite his weak-minded leftist opinions.
For several years now one of the most popular clips from the old Phil Donahue Show is an excerpt from an hour-long appearance of Milton Friedman on the show. What is remarkable is not so much that Donahue would host Friedman for an entire show, but that he would let Milton finish his answer. He didn’t interrupt or heckle or demagogue his guest. In fact he is courteous and polite to Friedman throughout.
Perhaps Donahue knew he was overmatched, but regardless it is unthinkable that The View or MSNBC or any other news outlet today would let a guest go on for as long as Donahue does in this clip.
A certain major party presidential nominee might want to take this in, though I doubt she could understand it.
In any case, RIP to Phil Donahue.
