Our news cycle nowadays is shit-fire way-depressing, overflowing with outlandish circumstances and it seems to be getting worse. Sad a humongous wad of people are suffering, from natural disasters to man-made influenced catastrophes — a lot of hard work to keep sane in the midst of it all.

Actually, a pile of smoldering shit. And it’s an enigma why this freaking presidential race is so close at all, a mystery of how shitty a huge-ass chunk of Americans are:

And I take a read of all this ominous, horrible goings-on, there’s hope in the fire:

There's a good chance it isn't close at all because polling errors in recent cycles have consistently been towards one party in every swing state

If I had to put money on it I'd bet that Kamala is being underestimated because I don't believe Michigan or Pennsylvania are close https://t.co/kZGGlmTPBB

— Swann Marcus (@SwannMarcus89) October 20, 2024

Today, while T-Rump acted the asshole, and literally talked shit, Kamala went to church:

At her first stop, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest on Sunday morning, Harris told congregants that she was guided by the teachings of the Bible from an early age, and that growing up in the Black church in Oakland has shaped her leadership style. When Harris was a young girl, a close neighbor and family friend took her to the 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland, Calif., where she learned to live by the creed that God “asks us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” and to “defend the rights of the poor and the needy,” she said.

Wearing a skirt suit and a pink ribbon to commemorate “Pink Sunday” for breast cancer awareness, Harris said she learned from the parable of the good Samaritan that people of faith should “understand that in the face of a stranger, one should see a neighbor.”

She described the election as a consequential decision for people of faith, arguing that the “country is at a crossroads.” The question, the vice president said, is “what kind of country do we want to live in?”

“A country of chaos, fear and hate or a country of freedom, compassion and justice?” she asked. “The great thing about living in a democracy is that we the people have the power to answer that question. So let us answer, not just through our words but through our action and with our votes.”

At her second stop — a Souls to the Polls event at Divine Faith Ministries International where musician Stevie Wonder serenaded her with “Happy Birthday” — Harris again framed the election as a choice between a leader who would denigrate others and one who would seek to lift them up.

“Our strength is not based on who we put down as some would try to and suggest,” she said referring to Trump at her second stop in Jonesboro. “Our strength is based on who we lift up. And that spirit is very much at risk in these next 16 days.”

Right on!

Kamala even answered T-Rump’s ‘shit‘ remark with real American life:

So the American people deserve so much better. That’s how I come at it. And to your point, the president of the United States must set a standard. Not only for our nation, but understanding the standard that we as a nation must set for the world. You know, we representing the United States of America, walk into rooms around the world with the earned and self-appointed authority to talk about the importance of democracy, rule of law. And have been thought of as a role model, imperfect though we may be, but a role model of what it means to be committed to certain standards, including international rules and norms, but also standards of decorum. And what you see in my opponent, a former President of the United States, really is um – it demeans the office.

And and I have said and I’m very clear about this, Donald Trump should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States. He has not earned the right. He’s not earned the right. And that’s why he’s going to lose.

In reality, Kamala is such a champ, best played straight (this SNL clip is really, really good):

Kamala all day, or not, yet here we are once again…

(Illustration out front: ‘Vice President Kamala Harris,’ watercolor on paper, by Ray Johnstone, and found here.)