The primary reason civil wars are so brutal is the overwhelming sense of betrayal.  Betrayal not only of family, but of nation, of what were formerly shared values and ideals.  But the betrayal runs more deeply. People who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, as Hemingway said about bankruptcy, gradually, then suddenly find their lives utterly destroyed. What was once a daily routine of work, play and family, of civic trust, suddenly becomes a daily struggle for survival, and the hatred that engenders fuels more and more violence and barbarity.

The debate of June 27 has the potential to provoke that kind of betrayal as “who you gonna believe? Us or your own lyin’ eyes and ears?” passed into the ash heap of Democrat/socialist/communist (D/s/c) expired narratives within minutes. 

The initial round of commentary has focused on Joe Biden’s physical and mental infirmity, on his hoarse, confused and rambling speech, and the stark contrast between two men only a few years apart in age. Biden is 81 going on dead and Trump is 78 going on 60.

Now come the memories of four years, even before Biden took office, of those steadily worsening signs of serious illness, of dementia, of a man who can’t control his bowels or vowels. And with those memories, comes an increasing sense of betrayal.

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What of all those politicians, media talking heads, D/s/c party hacks, entertainers, and others who repeatedly assured Americans they had been in close contact with Joe Biden, they had long, substantive conversations with him, and he was not only just fine, he was at the top of his game, his age was his superpower, he was completely cogent, capable and oh sooooo experienced? What can we think of those people who assured us Biden is absolutely ready and able to lead a fourth Obama term?

What had been a mostly under the radar current of D/s/c rumbling about the possibility of replacing Joe Biden, trial balloons of electoral worry and hope for a better chance against Donald Trump, became within 90 minutes a flood of desperation as though all those D/s/cs suddenly felt the scales falling from their eyes. There are three primary possibilities: they knew all along Biden was demented and cynically and cruelly animated a failing meat puppet to do their bidding, imposing the absolute worst of D/s/c policy on America. Or, they believed their own propaganda. They were, and are, so dimwitted they couldn’t recognize the signs of dementia, and the consequences for Normal Americans until that fateful debate.

Some combination of these is surely possible, as is the lust for power and hatred for America and Americans Biden’s handler’s policies have so destructively exposed.

What of the Americans who can’t afford a home, a new car, or even many of life’s necessities to think of these people, of these self-imagined elite who have lied to them for so long? What are the Americans who believe their own empty bank accounts, who can’t afford to fix their cars, appliances, and broken air conditioners to think of Biden’s handler's gaslighting of rampant inflation, out of control crime, a weaponized Department of Justice and a two-tiered justice system? What are they to think of a government that jails the innocent for daring to exercise their First Amendment rights even as it tries to deprive them of their Second Amendment rights?

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And what are they to think of the D/s/cs, the self-imagined elite, who suddenly realize Joe Biden is a mummified meat puppet, a fast-unraveling simulation of a sapient human being? How do they explain their sudden realization? “Honest, we didn’t know. We had no idea he was demented until that debate. It’s not our fault!” How do they explain their sudden need to replace Joe Biden, and how do they pry Dr. Jill out of the White House?

Will they apologize to Normal Americans, the domestic terrorist, insurrectionist, systemically racist, transphobic, depraved and nazi denizens of Flyover Country? Will they admit they were wrong about the Americans they have so viciously maligned and abused? Will they enter 12-step programs to atone and recover? “Hi, I’m Bob, and I’m a D/s/c.”

And how can they possibly apologize for covering for the entire Biden Crime family as it serially betrayed America? How can they admit their complicity and/or stupidity?

The debate revealed how badly America has been losing and for how long, and began the process of realization, of the sparking of memory, of just how badly America has been betrayed. What political hack will D/s/cs serve up to replace Biden, to continue the betrayal, and what will be the last straw as the realization of betrayal explodes into rage and retribution?

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.