Slow Burn: Extra – What We Can Learn From 1991

Podcast: Slow Burn
Host: Josh Levin (Slate’s national editor)
Date: October 29, 2020
Episode Overview:
This bonus episode revisits pivotal lessons from the 1991 Louisiana governor’s race through the firsthand perspective of Norman Robinson, the news anchor who confronted David Duke on live television, and through a roundtable discussion on the long shadow of racism and disaster in Louisiana. With guests Van Newkirk and Clint Smith, the conversation explores the ripple effects of both Duke’s political rise and Hurricane Katrina, drawing lessons about race, history, media, and the power—and limits—of storytelling.

Main Segments & Timestamps

1. Norman Robinson on Confronting David Duke (02:56–12:19)

Robinson’s Mindset Before the Historic Debate

• [03:03] Robinson reflects he “had no idea” the moment would be so important, stating:

  “I wanted to challenge his ideals. I wanted to get to the human part of him...”
  —Norman Robinson, [03:03]

• He felt a responsibility to ask as “a human being” and on behalf of those Duke had harmed:

  “I was asking questions for the African Americans and the Jewish people who had been excoriated by his actions.”
  —Norman Robinson, [03:29]

Preparation, Fear, and Taking Risks

• [05:05] Robinson conducted exhaustive research, gathering direct quotes and past interviews with Duke to confront him without fabrication:

  “I didn’t make up anything. I just read back to him things that he had said.”
  —Norman Robinson, [05:43]

• [05:56]–[07:32] Robinson describes the vulnerability and risk he felt, including threats that led to police escorts and carrying a gun for the first time since the Marine Corps:

  “Yeah, I was scared, absolutely. And I am yet fearful for the country for the same reason that I was fearful then....”
  —Norman Robinson, [05:59]
  “There were so many phone calls to the station from Duke supporters that the phone line crashed... there was a dueling protest...”
  —Norman Robinson, [07:37]

Culture War Dynamics and Unhealed Wounds

• [08:01]–[09:45] Robinson agrees the 1991 campaign was “more of a culture war”:

  “The scab was being pulled off the wound... when blacks seek parody... it ratchets up the anti-black movement...”
  —Norman Robinson, [08:53]

• [09:50] He identifies “the wound” as America’s unreconciled legacy of slavery:

  “The wound in my mind is slavery. It was never reconciled. The great sin in America has never really been addressed...”
  —Norman Robinson, [09:50]

• Cites personal memories of racist violence and invokes James Baldwin:

  “But for one to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.”
  —James Baldwin (quoted by Norman Robinson), [11:01]

  • He describes ongoing burdens of being Black in America—from suspicion to existential unease:

    “Can you imagine what it’s like to walk into a room where you’re the only African American and wondering whether you’re good enough to be in that room?”
    —Norman Robinson, [11:31]

2. Panel: Van Newkirk, Clint Smith, and Josh Levin on History’s Echoes (12:19–29:09)

Disasters as Revealed, Not Made (12:37–14:36)

• Josh Levin draws parallels between Duke’s rise and Hurricane Katrina—both exposing preexisting fractures.
• Van Newkirk:

  “We have a tendency... that thinks of catastrophes as this thing that just sort of happened... but [they are] exclamation marks at the end of a sentence.”
  —Van Newkirk, [13:11]

• Newkirk observes both disasters and racism are ignored until crisis hits, but are always underlying.

Living Through Trauma and Retrospective Insight (14:36–17:51)

• Clint Smith on Katrina:

  “I was 17 years old when the storm arrived... our home was destroyed... it's been this interesting thing for me in which I've only begun to understand the sort of emotional and psychological implications that Katrina had on my own life as I've gotten older.”
  —Clint Smith, [15:08]

• Both discuss the subtle, lasting impact of growing up during Duke’s prominence—even if memories are emotional rather than specific.

Capturing Emotion and the Challenge of “Humanizing” (17:51–20:36)

• Levin and Newkirk discuss centering emotion in storytelling:

  “It stuck with me more in the realm of kind of emotion and feeling than in specific events.”
  —Josh Levin, [17:51]

• Newkirk reflects on how disaster disrupts nostalgia and belonging:

  “In the act of destroying sacred spaces... really short circuit[s] the comfort places of our brains.”
  —Van Newkirk, [18:49]

Parallels: Racism, Media Spin, Barricades (20:36–23:31)

• Both stories are about “racism, anti-blackness, and institutional failures”—with individual acts of heroism.
• Newkirk links media narratives to real-world violence:

  “David Duke was using [media] reports to say New Orleans was in the middle of a race war. He was telling white folks to pick up arms...”
  —Van Newkirk, [21:24]

• On physical and psychological barricades:

  “During Katrina... there wasn’t anybody there to tear [the barricade] down. It just went up and it stayed up.”
  —Josh Levin, [22:10]

The Limits of Storytelling and the Power of Amplification (23:31–29:09)

• Clint Smith:

  “...the psychological toll exacted on black journalists who... find themselves writing the same story merely with different victims.”
  —Levin, summarizing Smith’s piece, [23:31] “...it remains to be seen to what extent it is a moment versus an ongoing reckoning.”
  —Clint Smith, [24:39]

• Smith and Newkirk call for amplification, rather than “humanization” as a form of storytelling:

  “There’s a bit of a savior complex in storytelling that I don’t enjoy. The best way... is to amplify, document, collect, curate, amplify.”
  —Van Newkirk, [26:31] “Amplification creates a level of proximity... proximity can be a catalyst for empathy.”
  —Clint Smith, [27:25]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “How can I believe what you say when I see what you do?” (James Baldwin, via Norman Robinson, 03:48)
• “I did research on him from morning to night... I just read back to him things that he had said.” (Robinson, 05:08–05:48)
• “The great sin in America has never really been addressed.” (Robinson, 09:50)
• “Disasters are less new things that come out of nowhere than exclamation marks at the end of a sentence.” (Newkirk, 13:26)
• “The same story merely with different victims.” (Levin referencing Smith, 23:31)
• “There’s a bit of a savior complex in storytelling that I don’t enjoy. The best way... is to amplify...” (Newkirk, 26:31)

Key Themes & Insights

• Historical Trauma and Unresolved Injustice: Both the 1991 Duke campaign and Hurricane Katrina laid bare the deep wounds of racism that have never healed in America.
• The Risks and Responsibility of Journalism: Robinson’s confrontation was both brave and dangerous, exemplifying journalism with stakes beyond personal safety.
• The Power and Limits of Storytelling: While recounting these stories matters, Smith and Newkirk emphasize the limits of “humanizing”—the focus should be on amplifying and listening to marginalized voices.
• Parallel Patterns—Past and Present: The episode underscores parallels between different kinds of disaster—racial and natural—and the failures of institutions, as well as the enduring nature of systemic racism.

For Further Listening

• Extended interviews and bonus content are available for Slate Plus members.
• Announcements include upcoming Slow Burn seasons on the Iraq War and the LA Riots.

The episode brings together personal testimony, historical reflection, and media critique to illuminate how pivotal moments—whether an election or a natural disaster—reflect the deeper currents of American society. Through honest, vulnerable storytelling, the guests urge listeners to reckon with both the past and the ongoing struggle for justice and truth.