Videos Show GOP Senator’s Husband Who Snubbed Kamala Harris Happily Shaking Previous VPs’ Hands
Source: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
In case there was any confusion about the actual intent behind the actions of a newly sworn-in Republican’s husband refusing to shake Kamala Harris’ hand, video footage from previous inaugurations shows the polar opposite behavior displayed toward the vice president’s immediate [white male] predecessors.
And to be clear, there is apparently plenty of confusion about the incident that went viral on Monday as Harris presided over a joint session of Congress to certify the presidential and congressional election results, including her own loss to Donald Trump.
That much is evident after a parade of people took to social media to defend the overtly negative body language displayed by Bruce Fisher after his wife, Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, was inaugurated.
In case you missed it, Bruce Fischer went viral for all the wrong reasons after he couldn’t even bring himself to look Harris in the eyes as she extended her hand to him following the brief swearing-in ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.
As Harris appears to make small pleasantries with the couple, she is shown speaking directly to Bruce Fischer, whose face was sternly pointed downward. When Harris extended her hand, Bruce Fischer’s facial expressions suggested he was agitated, to put it mildly. Harris, ever the professional, quickly shook off the snub with a knowing chuckle and moved to pose with the couple and their adult son for a photo.
After the video of the incident exploded on social media, people defending Bruce Fischer for snubbing Harris pointed to his use of a cane, claiming the walking aid prevented him from shaking Harris’ hand.
“Not weighing in on Bruce Fischer’s intent here, but what this video with 1.4 million views does not show is that he’s holding a cane with the hand the Vice President tried to shake,” journalist Andrew Wegley posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Source: U.S. Senator Deb Fischer / U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
But as cultural critic and political pundit Reecie Colbert astutely pointed out, video footage shows Bruce Fischer’s “wife literally takes the Bible from his hand as VP extends her hand and he puts his hand in his pocket instead of extending it to VP.”
In other words, Bruce Fisher had every opportunity to be civil and shake Harris’ hand if for no other reason than to show he has respect for the office of the vice president of the United States.
Colbert’s post opened the floodgates for more receipts on Bruce Fisher to be shared.
For instance, Democratic operative Chris D. Jackson shared “the video from six years ago of Senator Fischer being sworn in by Mike Pence, with her husband by her side. To my expectations, after the oath, her husband gleefully shook Pence’s hand and thanked him for his leadership. Before they left, he shook his hand again.”
Jackson added: “Given his refusal to shake Vice President Harris’ hand today, I suspected him of being a bigot. Now, I’m certain.”
Later, video footage shared on social media from Sen. Fischer being sworn in by then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2013 showed her husband smiling broadly, making eye contact and extending his own hand to be shaken – the polar opposite of the treatment he extended to Harris.
As social media influencer Chris Evans noted, extended footage from the incident last week showed Harris cracking a little joke to ease the tension – “It’s ok. I won’t bite. Don’t worry.” – and invite Bruce Fischer to stand closer to her; an invitation he ignored.
Colbert later shared some cultural insights that might be lost among people defending Bruce Fischer: “Black woman to Black woman, I recognize every single breath, facial expression, and physical reaction to what Kamala Harris is experiencing.”
Meet Sen. Deb Fischer
For those who are unfamiliar with Fischer and her policies, perhaps all one needs to know is that she rejoiced when Trump’s hand-picked U.S. Supreme Court ruled Mr. MAGA could remain on the ballot.
“Americans can celebrate,” Fischer said in a statement at the time and wrote in a separate op-ed nearly a year ago that the Biden administration was guilty of related political “abuses.”
In return for her loyalty, Trump bestowed her with a MAGA-coveted endorsement for reelection, the soiled fruits of which she reaped on Monday when she was sworn in.
The viral moment on Capitol Hill came under a wide specter of irony. After all, Democrats have been making a big deal out of following the democratic process and committing to a peaceful transfer of power to a group of individuals – including and especially President-elect Donald Trump – who face credible accusations of inciting the deadliest political violence in more than 100 years; on the fourth anniversary of the Capitol Riots of Jan. 6, 2021, no less.
That was the decided context in which the MAGA husband of Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer refused to shake the hand of the second-highest-ranking elected official in the United States who swore in his wife to the U.S. Senate.
This is America.
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What Trump’s Election Says About How America Views Black Women