By Mike Feinstein. Advisor, Green Pages Editorial Board
Phil Donahue – an American media personality, writer, film producer, and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show, passed away on August 18, 2024. During his storied career, Donahue had a special relationship with Ralph Nader and the Green Party.
The first time the Green Party ever had an extended national TV presence in the United States was in February 1996, when 1996 Green presidential candidate Ralph Nader appeared on the Phil Donahue Show.
The Green Party owes a great debt of gratitude to Phil Donahue for that unprecedented opportunity. That historic broadcast — and the legitimacy and momentum it gave to the Green Party and the Nader ’96 campaign — highlighted to millions that a well-known figure of Ralph Nader’s caliber believed it was time to build an independent progressive party in the United States. This accelerated the growth of the ‘bottom-up’ Green Party into more states, and led to an increasing number of Green candidates and officeholders across the country.
Here is the video of that ground-breaking appearance:
Over the 29 years that the Phil Donahue Show ran from 1967 to 1996, Nader was Donahue’s most frequent guest.
According to the New York Times,
“Among his thousands of guests, Mr. Donahue often cited Ralph Nader as his favorite; he campaigned for Mr. Nader when he ran for president in 2000.”
Here Donahue spoke for almost four minutes Nader campaign Super Rally Press conference in Long Beach, CA on November 3, 2000:
On Election Night November 7, Donahue was on stage for the Super Rally in Washington, DC, speaking for 14 minutes. His closing words still ring true in the face of party suppression by the Democratic Party today:
“This is the beginning of the new millennium, and it will see the formation of a powerful third party force that’s going to take back the American election process…. To our friends in the Democratic Party who wish we would go away, we have this question. When can we run? Shall we take our hats and whimper off into a corner? And then four years from now, to what Democrat shall we make our pilgrimage, hats still in hand, and say, may we run this year, massa?
“May we run now? When can we be Americans? When can we get signatures on a ballot? When can we empower millions and millions of cynical, never before voters to come to us? When will you allow us to do this? You didn’t tell Patrick Buchanan to go away. You didn’t tell Ross Perot to go away. Why are you telling Ralph Nader to go away? What are you afraid of?”
“We’re here. We’re going to stay here and we’re going to stay the fight. And after Tuesday, we are about the beginning of a third party to challenge the incumbent power and the abuses that have come from both political parties, who literally have become an extension of corporate America, we’re changing that. We’re bringing it back to the people.”
To our friends in the Democratic Party who wish we would go away, we have this question. When can we run? Shall we take our hats and whimper off into a corner? And then four years from now, to what Democrat shall we make our pilgrimage, hats still in hand, and say, may we run this year, massa?
– Phil Donahue, Nader for President Super Rally, November 7, 2000
The video of Donahue’s entire comments are here:
Ralph Nader on the Passing of Phil Donahue (1935-2024), August 19, 2024
Phil Donahue – for years the number one rated network television daily talk show host – was the greatest defender and enabler of our Constitution’s First Amendment right of free speech in 20th century America.
Given the frequency of his programs and the size of his live television audiences, he gave early national voice to most of the leaders of social justice movements of the 1960s. When they were considered too controversial to be interviewed by other national media, Phil Donahue invited them for a full hour enabling them to reach his TV audience of 10 million or more people. His guests included pioneers for civil rights, consumer justice, environmental protection, and workplace safety. He interviewed outspoken poverty fighters, war resisters, women liberation advocates, student rebels, gay rights defenders, aggrieved communities, and their victims. His was far more than an entertainment show with flamboyant performers.
With his microphone in hand, Donahue would roam through his live audience to directly engage the people. It was spontaneous, authentic, unscripted. He became one of the country’s best-known national celebrities with his groundbreaking courage.
Moreover, so deep was his belief in giving voice to all, that he was ready to offer his stage to persons with views he strongly disagreed. He had Jerry Falwell on his show over two dozen times. That was Phil’s way of defending the most profound meaning of the First Amendment – that of protecting free speech for opinions you may find abhorrent.
There has been no one like him on national network TV talk shows since he ended the Donahue Show in 1996. Not remotely.
Coming back with a show on MSNBC in 2002, his insistence on giving voice to those against the war in Iraq, as well as boosters of that Bush/Cheney criminal war of aggression, led to GE-NBC firing him.
History should remember him for these immense contributions and for putting forces in motion that continue to this day for a more just country and world.
Ralph Nader Radio Hour: Tribute to Phil Donahue, August 24, 2024