Our clips of today — not that I really do clips of the day — are appearances in the late ’70s by Ayn Rand on the Phil Donahue and Tom Snyder shows. Phil is still with us. Tom is not, unfortunately. Both were good conversationalists, as they actually listened to what their guests had to say and asked challenging but not contentious questions. I don’t agree with most of what Rand or even Donahue believe, but it’s fascinating to see people with such divergent perspectives have a cordial and engaging discussion. Those days are behind us, and we are the worst for it.