Slow Burn (Season 4): David Duke | Episode 6 - "A Concerned Citizen"

Release Date: July 22, 2020
Host: Josh Levin (Slate Podcasts)
Theme: The grassroots mobilization and moral reckoning that defined the final weeks of Louisiana’s unprecedented 1991 gubernatorial runoff between former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and long-serving governor Edwin Edwards.

Episode Overview

This episode of Slow Burn delves into the anxiety, activism, and civic choices facing Louisiana residents during the 1991 election runoff between Republican David Duke—a notorious white supremacist—and Democrat Edwin Edwards, a politician widely acknowledged as corrupt. Through personal stories, historic context, and analysis, host Josh Levin asks how “ordinary citizens” responded to the urgent threat Duke posed and chronicles the creative and determined efforts to stop him from becoming governor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Stakes of the 1991 Runoff (00:31–02:18)

• David Duke, despite being repudiated by both state and national GOP leaders, captured 32% of the gubernatorial primary vote, making the runoff a tense and pivotal four-week struggle.
• Edwards, despite his issues with corruption allegations, became the default “anti-Duke” candidate.
• The period marked the best chance for Duke—and his ideology—to become a national political force.

Quote:
“In this state, the governor is like a king. He basically does what he wants. So I have the opportunity to make great changes if I'm elected, and that's what I want to do for everyone.”
— David Duke, reflecting on the power at stake (02:10)

2. “Vote for the Crook. It’s Important”: Citizen Activism Begins (02:31–04:00)

• Kirby Neuberger, a Republican voter, recounts how he commissioned the now-famous “Vote for the Crook. It’s Important” bumper sticker—an ironic, urgent endorsement of Edwards over Duke (03:02).
• The sticker harnessed dark humor to convey to mainstream conservatives that supporting Edwards—even begrudgingly—was a civic duty in the face of Duke’s racism.

Memorable Moment:
Kirby Neuberger distributed bumper stickers from his car, responding to interest from passersby:
“I’d pull over and open my trunk and take one out and hand one to them.” (03:42)

3. Grassroots Mobilization in the Black Community (05:12–06:09)

• Kent Smith, student body president at Southern University (an HBCU), describes the sense of moral emergency among students and the decision to act.
• Massive voter registration rallies, buoyed by the Southern University band, turned registration into a celebration of resistance and hope.

Quote:
“We're talking about over a thousand people, you know, in lines. ...Having the band there ... made all the difference in the world. And so it became a festive gathering of positivity, if you will.”
— Kent Smith (05:40)

• The effect: More than 65,000 new voter registrations in two days, overwhelming even Duke’s home parish.

4. Battling Complacency and “It Couldn’t Happen Here” Thinking (06:09–07:36)

• Polling showed a tight race: Edwards at 46%, Duke at 42%, 12% undecided.
• Lance Hill, leader of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism, points out that many white voters doubted Duke could do real harm because “this is America”—a dangerous misconception he found hard to counter.

Quote:
“They also believed that democracy was always safe. And that’s very difficult objection to overcome in an argument.”
— Lance Hill, on public complacency about democratic vulnerability (07:36)

5. The Moral Equation: Who Deserved Protest, Who Deserved Power? (07:36–08:43)

• The episode explores how anti-Duke activists weighed reaching out to both conservative whites (alienated by corruption but not bigotry) and Black Louisianans (motivated by alarm and self-preservation).
• The election became a crisis not just of politics, but of core values—forcing uncomfortable coalitions for the sake of democracy.

Quote:
“Somehow the word has gotten out that there’s a possibility this could happen anywhere in America.”
— Kent Smith, on the national implications of the Louisiana election (08:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “We have no support from a lot of the major publications and newspapers, but we have the endorsement that counts for this state, the endorsement of the people of Louisiana.”
  — David Duke, celebrating his base after the primary (01:15)

• “In my mind, you had to vote for Edwin Edwards even if you didn’t want to. Cause without that vote, then David Duke would win.”
  — Kirby Neuberger, on the necessity of backing Edwards (02:31)

• “Just felt like we had to get engaged and kind of one of those ‘not on our watch’ kind of things. As a student, even then, it was kind of, this can't be happening.”
  — Kent Smith, at the outbreak of student activism (05:12)

• “He [David Duke] can’t do that. … This is America, you can’t just get rid of democracy.”
  — Unnamed white working class voter, illustrating denial about the stakes (07:36)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:31–02:18: Setting the stakes: Duke’s rise and the dire implications
• 02:31–04:00: The birth of the “Vote for the Crook” message
• 05:12–06:09: Black student mobilization at Southern University
• 06:09–07:36: Facing denial about threats to democracy
• 07:36–08:43: Expanding the frame: The national implications and building broad resistance

Tone and Storytelling Approach

The episode blends urgency, dark humor, and a deep sense of historic import. First-person accounts and archival reflections immerse listeners in a moment when everyday citizens were pushed to see the extraordinary consequences of their choices. The narrative conveys a sense of both alarm (over Duke’s plausibility) and hope (in citizens’ capacity to organize and choose democracy, even agonizingly).

Summary

“A Concerned Citizen” masterfully chronicles the closing weeks of a pivotal election, spotlighting the ingenuity of the Republican and Black communities in joining forces—however awkwardly—to block an avowed racist from power. It reveals how moral clarity and creative grassroots activism overcame disgust and division, providing a blueprint, and a warning, for political crises everywhere.