The certification of Donald Trump’s election victory was wholly unremarkable. Lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill; there were no challenges to any state’s results; and the proceedings were as dry and ceremonial as they’ve traditionally been.
That is, except for the process that unfolded exactly four years earlier when lawmakers certified the results of the 2020 election on the heels of an attack on the U.S. Capitol from a pro-Trump mob. In the aftermath of the violence, many congressional Republicans voted against certifying the outcome, seemingly indifferent to the will of the voters in key states.
Vice President Kamala Harris was put in the unenviable position of having to preside over the certification process making her own election defeat official. Once the tallying was complete, she told reporters that American democracy “is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.”
“Otherwise it is very fragile, and it will not be able to withstand moments of crisis,” she Harris added. “And today, America’s democracy stood.”
In other words, the California Democrat — who conceded her defeat, unlike her Republican rival did four years ago — handled her responsibilities with the kind of professionalism and class she’s shown throughout the post-election process. As my MSNBC colleague Michele Norris added, “We will never know the internal strength needed by Vice President Kamala Harris to preside over the official certification of her own electoral defeat. On the anniversary of a Capitol rampage perpetrated by fans of the 45th and now 47th president, Harris fulfilled her duties with grace and with dignity.”
But as the political world shifts its focus to the president-elect’s looming inauguration, it’s worth pausing to acknowledge the unfortunate fact that Harris’ grace and class hasn’t been entirely reciprocated.
After the election certification process wrapped up, Semafor’s Dave Weigel noted, “One thing I noticed in the House today was that [Republicans] spiked the football more than you’d ever seen” in a Jan. 6 electoral vote session. Weigel specifically referenced House Majority Whip Tom Emmer “mockingly lifting his hands in prayer” in response to the announcement about his fellow Minnesotan, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, losing his election.
This came a few days after a related incident, in which the spouse of a Republican senator apparently refused to shake Harris’ hand during his wife’s swearing-in ceremony. HuffPost noted:
Sen. Deb Fischer (R.-Neb.) appeared to be all smiles while being sworn in by Harris for her third term in the U.S. Senate while standing alongside her husband, Bruce Fischer. The moment appeared to turn frosty, however, as the senator repeatedly nudged her husband to stand closer to the vice president as he held a cane with one hand and a Bible in the other.
“It’s OK, I won’t bite,” Harris said smiling. “I’m not going to bite. Don’t worry.” After the vice president swore in the Nebraska Republican for another term, Harris and Fischer shook hands, as is customary, but when the Democrat turned to the senator’s husband to shake his hand, he put his hand in his pocket and appeared reluctant even to make eye contact with Harris. The husband of Republican senator Deb Fischer just refused to shake hands or make eye contact with Vice President Harris.The level of class you can expect from MAGA. To be sure, he had a cane in his right hand, which might’ve contributed to the apparent snub, though the senator’s husband could’ve responded to the vice president’s outreach with his other hand. For those hoping to see civility in the new Congress, it wasn’t a great start.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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