Ted Cruz decided to smear present-day Democrats as supporters of the Ku Klux Klan in defense of Jeff Sessions, and it spectacularly backfired.When Donald Trump nominated Sessions for Attorney General, an uproar ensued because of Sessions  racism over the course of his career.As a United States attorney, Sessions attempted to suppress the black vote in Alabama by prosecuting three civil rights activists for helping black people vote.Sessions  racism is so bad that Republicans rejected his nomination for a judgeship in 1986. Even Coretta Scott King strenuously opposed his nomination in a letter that has since resurfaced.King wrote that Sessions  lacks the temperament, fairness, and judgement to be a federal judge  and has  used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens. She continued by warning that Sessions  would irreparably damage the work of my husband. When Senator Elizabeth Warren attempted to read the letter on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Republicans silenced her in defense of their racist colleague, who if confirmed, would gut the Justice Department and prevent it from protecting civil rights and voting rights.Cruz joined his colleagues in silencing Warren and he defended Sessions during an interview on Fox News by trying to link Democrats with the KKK. It s one of the crutches  when the left doesn t have any other arguments, they go and just accuse everyone of being a racist. The Democrats are the party of the Ku Klux Klan. You look at the most racist  you look at the Dixiecrats, they were Democrats who imposed segregation, imposed Jim Crow laws, who founded the Klan. The Klan was founded by a great many Democrats. Now, the Democrats accuse anyone they disagree with of being a racist. That was a false smear of Jeff Sessions and I think he will make an extraordinary attorney general. Here s the video via YouTube:While it s true that Democrats of the past did, indeed, support the KKK, it should be noted that the Dixiecrats Cruz speaks of became Republicans after Democrats pushed for passage of the Civil Rights Act. Later on, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan would employ the  Southern Strategy  to complete the Republican abandonment of Abraham Lincoln.Democrats have worked hard over the last 70 years to recover from their racist history, and have successfully done so by passing landmark legislation protecting voting rights and civil rights.Cruz is also wrong about Democrats being  the party of the KKK.  That claim may have worked in 1870 or in 1930, but it definitely won t work today, especially since the KKK formally endorsed Donald Trump and celebrated after Trump nominated Sessions.In fact, Sessions once said that he liked the KKK until he found out that they smoked marijuana. Apparently he had no problem with their racism and hate and terrorism against black people.In response, Twitter users roasted Cruz.#morningjoe Ted Cruz said democrats are the KKK. The Republicans have nominated KKK leaders. Who represents the KKK now?  Riley2u (@tawnylinda) February 8, 2017At what point do people like Ted Cruz come up with new lines besides  Soros did it  and  Dems are the party of the KKK ?  Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) February 8, 2017OMG @tedcruz HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THE PARTIES FLIPPED? DID YOU GO TO A @BetsyDeVos SCHOOL? DID YOU FORGET THE KKK ENDORSED YOUR CANDIDATE?  Emma Catherine (@emmstarr) February 8, 2017Irony: @tedcruz says dems started kkk whom POTUS just removed from violent extremist watch list & their confederate flag waving voters cheer  Joey Toledo (@joey_toledo) February 8, 2017dear @tedcruz democrats were the party of the kkk yada yada yada barack obama  Oliver Willis (@owillis) February 8, 2017Hey, Ted, what was that name again of that head of the Ku Klux Klan who endorsed @realDonaldTrump? https://t.co/w2EtM3NlGL  Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 8, 2017Read more:Featured Image: Flickr