Right. Byrd was an Exalted Cyclops. So he wasn’t just in the KKK. He was the local KKK leader. And that’s not dusty, ancient history. Byrd has many friends and supporters who are influential in the Democrat Party even today.
He also never completely broke himself of the habit of using the N-word. As he got older it slipped out more and Rat excuses for that got more creative.
Spielberg’s model for Emperor Palpatine?