--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Strom Thurmond, the former segregationist…" description: "\"Strom Thurmond, the former segregationist candidate for president was the Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986 and he tried to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_candidates_strom-thurmond-the-former-segregationist_2943001.jpg" --- # Strom Thurmond, the former segregationist candidate for… ![“Strom Thurmond, the former segregationist candidate for president was the Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986 and he tried to get Jeff Sessions' nomination through that committee, but he couldn't.” quote by Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_candidates_strom-thurmond-the-former-segregationist_2943001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_candidates_strom-thurmond-the-former-segregationist_2943001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_candidates_strom-thurmond-the-former-segregationist_2943001.jpg) > “Strom Thurmond, the former segregationist candidate for president was the Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986 and he tried to get Jeff Sessions' nomination through that committee, but he couldn't.” [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. Strom Thurmond’s political maneuvering shows how personal histories and power dynamics influence Senate decisions. **In simple terms:** Political pasts affect current power plays. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden influences in politics. Themes politics history power ethics senate Mood critical analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - legislative hearings - campaign strategy - media analysis - public policy debates Key Concepts Political science institutional analysis ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do personal histories shape policy? - What safeguards exist against bias? A Different Perspective Complex motives may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Judiciary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judiciary/) [Nominations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nominations/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republican/) [Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate/) ## Related quotes > [Strom Thurmond the only segregationist anyone can name. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party had former Klansmen, members of a terrorist group that was lynching and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/strom-thurmond-the-only-segregationist-anyone-can-name-meanwhile-the/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Trent Lott has regained a position of leadership. He was the former majority leader who lost his post for racially insensitive commentary. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/trent-lott-has-regained-a-position-of-leadership-he-was-the-former/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [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/) > [I will not vote in favor of Senator Sessions' nomination for attorney general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/i-will-not-vote-in-favor-of-senator-sessions-nomination-for-attorney/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [He addressed a black lawyer as "boy". That's why Jeff Sessions couldn't get through Senate confirmation process under the old rules followed by Democrats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/he-addressed-a-black-lawyer-as-boy-that-s-why-jeff-sessions-couldn-t/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [If Jeff Sessions had been an editor of something like "Breitbart", Ronald Reagan wouldn't have even nominated him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/if-jeff-sessions-had-been-an-editor-of-something-like-breitbart/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Jeff Sessions wished he wasn't the attorney general. The president Donald Trump has the most incompetent cabinet in history, and he's unhappy with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/jeff-sessions-wished-he-wasn-t-the-attorney-general-the-president/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [According to the old rules, Senator Jeff Sessions could not be confirmed by the United States Senate because in fact he wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/according-to-the-old-rules-senator-jeff-sessions-could-not-be/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The "New York Times" interview shows that the president Donald Trump believes he can get through the special prosecutor's investigation of obstruction of justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-new-york-times-interview-shows-that-the-president-donald-trump/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Someone who traffics in much more than what Jeff Sessions said back then will be with the president every day in the White House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/someone-who-traffics-in-much-more-than-what-jeff-sessions-said-back/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Something the committee had not done in 50 years. Jeff Sessions is now the Chairman of the Committee that rejected him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/something-the-committee-had-not-done-in-50-years-jeff-sessions-is-now/) [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/) > [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/) > [ Senator Jeff Sessions is reportedly on the \[Donald\] Trump shortlist to be either the next Secretary of Defense or the next Attorney General of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/senator-jeff-sessions-is-reportedly-on-the-donald-trump-shortlist-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [In 1948, northern liberals inserted a civil rights plank into the national Democratic platform, prompting a walkout of Southern delegations - which then coalesced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/in-1948-northern-liberals-inserted-a-civil-rights-plank-into-the/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) ## 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 Candidates quotes > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. 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