--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In pre-Trump Washington where the old…" description: "\"In pre-Trump Washington where the old rules applied, Rudy Giuliani could never survive the Senate confirmation process.\" — Lawrence O'Donnell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg" --- # In pre-Trump Washington where the old rules applied, Rudy… ![“In pre-Trump Washington where the old rules applied, Rudy Giuliani could never survive the Senate confirmation process.” quote by Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg) > “In pre-Trump Washington where the old rules applied, Rudy Giuliani could never survive the Senate confirmation process.” [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Old political norms prevented Giuliani's Senate confirmation. **In simple terms:** Old rules blocked confirmation. Key Takeaway Recognize systemic constraints. Themes politics norms confirmation Mood analytical critical Type political historical When to use this quote - election campaigns - legislative hearings - policy debates Key Concepts institutional barriers political culture Questions to Reflect On - How do political cultures evolve? - What reforms could modernize confirmation? A Different Perspective Changing norms can be slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confirmation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confirmation/) [Giuliani Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giuliani-survive-3576632/) [Old Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-rules-1380897/) [Pre Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pre-trump-3576634/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Rudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rudy/) [Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate/) [Senate Confirmation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate-confirmation-3576635/) [Survive Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive-senate-3576633/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [“I promised her we’d be quick, and Ben and I slipped away, just in time to hear Senator Blaine clear his throat and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/i-promised-her-we-d-be-quick-and-ben-and-i-slipped-away-just-in-time/) [Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/) > [Glenn Beck and others were pretty outrageous and extremely conspiratorial in the pre-Trump years. I don't mean to totally gloss over some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelter/glenn-beck-and-others-were-pretty-outrageous-and-extremely/) [Brian Stelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelter/) > [I get the urge people will have after Trump. 'Look at the chaos and the exhaustion: Wouldn't it be better to go back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-buttigieg/i-get-the-urge-people-will-have-after-trump-look-at-the-chaos-and-the/) [Pete Buttigieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-buttigieg/) > [Donald Trump hasn't decided, and most importantly, we don't know if the old rules still apply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/donald-trump-hasn-t-decided-and-most-importantly-we-don-t-know-if-the/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ His \[Rudolph Giuliani\] marital life became unhinged with his wife kicking him out of the mayor's residence of Gracie mansion. That he took up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/his-rudolph-giuliani-marital-life-became-unhinged-with-his-wife/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ Rudy Giuliani is on the list \[of Secretary of State \] not because of competence, not because of foreign policy experience, he's on most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/rudy-giuliani-is-on-the-list-of-secretary-of-state-not-because-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Rudy Giuliani would bring conflicts of interest into any Senate confirmation hearing that would be impossible to clear if confirmation hearings operate under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/rudy-giuliani-would-bring-conflicts-of-interest-into-any-senate/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Rudy Giuliani needed to feel safe because he turned his life into a public mess. A public mess that the "New York Tabloids" covered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/rudy-giuliani-needed-to-feel-safe-because-he-turned-his-life-into-a/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The old rules and the old methods of winning are gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/the-old-rules-and-the-old-methods-of-winning-are-gone/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [In the 1970s we got nouvelle cuisine, in which a lot of the old rules were kicked over. And then we had cuisine minceur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/in-the-1970s-we-got-nouvelle-cuisine-in-which-a-lot-of-the-old-rules/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [All the old rules - if you say some crazy stuff you get your show canceled or you get your campaign ended - don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-old-rules-if-you-say-some-crazy-stuff-you-get-your-show/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [This is something that, as artists, we constantly deal with-throwing away the past, slaying the father, and creating the new. This desire to throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/this-is-something-that-as-artists-we-constantly-deal-with-throwing/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [It's in our best interest to put some of the old rules aside and create new ones and follow the consumer - what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-iger/it-s-in-our-best-interest-to-put-some-of-the-old-rules-aside-and/) [Bob Iger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-iger/) > [While we believe there are fruitful opportunities to update and improve old rules, we do not want to set up a review process that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/while-we-believe-there-are-fruitful-opportunities-to-update-and/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [I mean, I was always interested in people like Lenny Bruce, people who are breaking the old rules and making new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-dunaway/i-mean-i-was-always-interested-in-people-like-lenny-bruce-people-who/) [Faye Dunaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-dunaway/) ## More by Lawrence O'Donnell > [All writers are forced to live within deadlines, and deadlines determine how good they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/all-writers-are-forced-to-live-within-deadlines-and-deadlines/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The question for the Republicans running the confirmation hearings in the United States Senate is whose rules are they going to use?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-question-for-the-republicans-running-the-confirmation-hearings-in/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Because Republicans defected and voted with all the Democrats to reject Jeff Sessions' nomination when they discovered that when he was working as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/because-republicans-defected-and-voted-with-all-the-democrats-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ In this case, the government will essentially be run by the people who are running it now. The top level \[Barack\] Obama appointees will… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-this-case-the-government-will-essentially-be-run-by-the-people-who/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [I've never understood the value of putting someone on television to lie, knowing that they're going to lie ahead of time, knowing that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-ve-never-understood-the-value-of-putting-someone-on-television-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The Trump view of immigration defies our history. Immigration is a transaction that has historically benefited the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-trump-view-of-immigration-defies-our-history-immigration-is-a/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ I don't think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC. She \[Hillary Clinton\] is saying Russia, Russia, Russia. Maybe it was.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-don-t-think-anybody-knows-it-was-russia-that-broke-into-the-dnc-she/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you can be sure that the writer felt every single thing that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-makes-them-cry-you-can-be-sure/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [National security advisors are not there to be advocates, generally. They're not there to be partisans, they're not there to be ideologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/national-security-advisors-are-not-there-to-be-advocates-generally/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Never once has Republican world said hey, maybe we should look into how police officers are carrying out their solemn public responsibility to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/never-once-has-republican-world-said-hey-maybe-we-should-look-into/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [When Ronald Reagan nominated Jeff Sessions for federal district court judgeship, the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected his nomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/when-ronald-reagan-nominated-jeff-sessions-for-federal-district-court/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Show business comes with wonderfully long vacations, like the life of a college professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/show-business-comes-with-wonderfully-long-vacations-like-the-life-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [It is amazing that Jeff Sessions is still in the job. Any self-respecting Attorney General of the United States would have publicly resigned as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/it-is-amazing-that-jeff-sessions-is-still-in-the-job-any-self/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Melania Trump's husband tweeted this: "Arianna Huffington is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/melania-trump-s-husband-tweeted-this-arianna-huffington-is/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) [Explore all 214 Lawrence O'Donnell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## More Confirmation quotes > [The question for the Republicans running the confirmation hearings in the United States Senate is whose rules are they going to use?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-question-for-the-republicans-running-the-confirmation-hearings-in/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins is an essential covenant to make with the Lord. Faith and repentance precede this ordinance. Confirmation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-theodore-tuttle/baptism-by-immersion-for-the-remission-of-sins-is-an-essential/) [A. Theodore Tuttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-theodore-tuttle/) > [The realization that my problem was one that concerned all men, a problem of living and thinking, suddenly swept over me and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-realization-that-my-problem-was-one-that-concerned-all-men-a/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The human understanding, when any preposition has been once laid down... forces everything else to add fresh support and confirmation; and although more cogent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-human-understanding-when-any-preposition-has-been-once-laid-down/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“I was living for one thing only, and that was to confirm my own lack of feeling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-living-for-one-thing-only-and-that-was-to-confirm-my-own-lack/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Instead of using this space to pretend the newly released CIA 'torture' report confirms that the United States is the most evil nation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/instead-of-using-this-space-to-pretend-the-newly-released-cia-torture/) [David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/) > [I am not myself free or human until or unless I recognize the freedom and humanity of all my fellowmen... I am truly free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-not-myself-free-or-human-until-or-unless-i-recognize-the-freedom/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Had Christ not risen we could not believe Him to be what He declared Himself when He "made Himself equal with God." But He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-warfield/had-christ-not-risen-we-could-not-believe-him-to-be-what-he-declared/) [B. B. Warfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-warfield/) > [I write to withdraw as a nominee to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. ... I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-miers/i-write-to-withdraw-as-a-nominee-to-serve-as-an-associate-justice-on/) [Harriet Miers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-miers/) > [No senator's vote, except for the declaration of war or the authorization for the use of force, is more important than the confirmation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/no-senator-s-vote-except-for-the-declaration-of-war-or-the/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [Even before the hearings that led to confirmation of Chief Justice Roberts, senators were saying they were reserving judgment on how they would vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/even-before-the-hearings-that-led-to-confirmation-of-chief-justice/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) > [When a spectator approaches a painting with his own particular set of filters or theories, be they historical, political, intellectual or whatever - he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-portway/when-a-spectator-approaches-a-painting-with-his-own-particular-set-of/) [Douglas Portway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-portway/) > [“I have known friendship love, parental love, romantic love, family love and unrequited love in my life time, but the only love that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-alder/i-have-known-friendship-love-parental-love-romantic-love-family-love/) [Shannon Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-alder/) > [There's no confirmation process for the staffers that the president puts around him at the White House. Those are the people he chooses to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-page/there-s-no-confirmation-process-for-the-staffers-that-the-president/) [Susan Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-page/) > [The prayer of faith is a prayer willing to believe and prevail for God's answer in a situation that is utterly impossible. Regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-l-duewel/the-prayer-of-faith-is-a-prayer-willing-to-believe-and-prevail-for/) [Wesley L Duewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-l-duewel/) [Browse all 222 Confirmation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confirmation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In pre-Trump Washington where the old rules applied, Rudy Giuliani could never survive the Senate confirmation process.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence O'Donnell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-rules-applied-rudy-giuliani/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confirmation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-rules-applied-rudy-giuliani/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be6/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_confirmation_in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-ru_2819231.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In pre-Trump Washington where the old rules applied, Rudy Giuliani could never survive the Senate…” — Lawrence O'Donnell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lawrence O'Donnell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In pre-Trump Washington where the old...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-rules-applied-rudy-giuliani/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-pre-trump-washington-where-the-old-rules-applied-rudy-giuliani/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```