“Democrats are the real racists! They founded the KKK!”

What You Say

The Democratic Party of the 1860s is not the Democratic Party of today — just as the Republican Party of Lincoln is not the party of Trump. The parties realigned over civil rights: Southern Democrats fled to the GOP after the Civil Rights Act. Today, voting rights restrictions target Black precincts, GOP leaders promote the 'great replacement' theory, and the party that flies Confederate flags isn't the one winning 90% of Black voters. History isn't a gotcha — it's context.