The joy has gone out of Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, replaced by creeping dread. MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski says Democrats have permission to be depressed. Recalling the "trauma" of Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss to Donald Trump, last week, the cable news personality lamented, "I think it's fair for Democrats to be incredibly depressed. I think it's fair for them to be discouraged."

After the latest polling by NBC News, some Democrats may need Prozac. Despite the media's fevered efforts, Harris's popularity is sinking. The Californian's favorability rating among voters has deteriorated from 48% in September to 43%, while negative perception has increased from 45% to 49%. MSNBC polling expert Steve Kornacki notes, "That’s a pretty big shift when you’re talking about a race this close." Nostalgia for the Trump years, meanwhile, is softening public opinion of the MAGA leader. More voters say Donald Trump's policies helped (44%) rather than hurt (31%) their families. Harris's six point advantage among white female voters has evaporated, with Trump now leading in this demographic by two points.

Last week, two-time presidential winner Barack Obama bemoaned his party's flagging enthusiasm for their struggling nominee. David Plouffe, former Obama guru and current Harris campaign advisor, warns, "For all of us that want to see Kamala Harris win, we wish there was an easy pathway — that pathway does not exist."